Potage à l'Herbe de Maggi
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- a good colander full of lovage leaves, rinsed and with any tough stalks removed
- 1 1/2 pints of good chicken stock
- 1 oz butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 pint cream (optional)
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Add the garlic, onion and potatoes and sweat, stirring, over a low heat until soft but not browned.
- Add the lovage and pour over the chicken stock, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cover and simmer until all the vegetables are soft, then blend in a food processor or with a hand-held blender.
- The soup should be smooth and quite thick, but if necessary it can be thinned a little with more stock, or with milk.
- If you like, you may add cream to make the soup richer - though that is not how Madame Mériel serves it!
Serves 4.
Recipe eaten in The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thorton
