Springtime Radish Top Soup

This soup is the perfect springtime soup that uses the fresh green tops of radishes that usually get thrown away.  It's a filling soup without a drop of cream in the recipe.  The creaminess comes from the typical potager recipe which is a puree of vegetables and potatoes.  I first had this amazing first-course at a cookbook event at Frank Bonanno's local Lou's Food Bar in which cookbook author (a personal favorite), Diane Morgan hosted a 6-course meal straight from her new cookbook, Roots.  This is one of the amazing recipes from the book that focuses on the under utilized vegetable family, roots.

Ingredients:

-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
-1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
-1 carrot, peeled and diced
-1 yellow onion, diced
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
-4 cups water
-1 1/2 tsp sugar
-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
-5 cups radish tops (from 3 bushy bunches)
-5 or 6 radishes, trimmed and cut into matchsticks


First, chop your carrots, onions, and leeks.  Make sure to rinse the leeks well because they carry a lot of dirt within their layers.  Melt the 2 Tbsp of butter in the bottom of a heavy soup pot over medium-low heat.  Add the veggies and and stir a couple of times.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring a few times until they are soft but not brown.

While the veggies are cooking, peel and dice the potato.  Once the veggies are soft, add the potato, 4 cups of water, 1 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp pepper to the pot.  Increase the heat to medium high to bring to a simmer.  Once simmering adjust the heat so it maintains a soft simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.

While the soup is simmering, wash and roughly chop the radish tops.  Once the potatoes are soft, add them to the pot and stir until they are wilted (about 1 minute).  Remove from the heat.

Working in batches, process the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pot and place over medium-low heat. If the soup is too thick, add a little water.  Ladle the soup into warm bowls and garnish with matchstick radishes.