Meatballs And Lettuce Soup - A Recipe

Over the years, I’ve learned that items that do not initially seem to go together often taste better than expected. At least, that’s what I found with lettuce and clear soups, which is probably the most common in Asian meals. A particularly tasty soup is meatballs and lettuce. Here is a recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable, chicken or beef stock/ broth.
• 3 cups water.
• Meatballs, preferably homemade, but store-bought is okay. You can use the veggie kind, provided that they are not breaded. Otherwise they’ll fall apart.
• Thinly-sliced mushrooms. You can use button (white) mushrooms, cremini, portabello or shiitake.
• Finely sliced green onions.
• 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce. (Actually, you can use any lettuce that is crispy when fresh.) Break loosely, but into larger than bite-size pieces. Rinse the pieces to dislodge any dirt, but don’t soak them too long.
• Salt + black pepper, to taste.
• Crushed red pepper flake to taste [optional].

Preparation:

• Prepare the meatballs beforehand and set aside in the fridge or freezer.
• In a large stockpot, heat up the water and broth on high until the liquid mix is boiling.
• Reduce the temperature to medium high, then add the meatballs. Cook for 7-8 minutes.
• Reduce heat to between medium high and medium. Add sliced mushrooms and green onions, then simmer for 5-7 minutes.
• Add lettuce, salt and pepper, and red pepper flake (if using). Simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent. Turn off heat and serve.

Presentation:
Serve in individual bowls as a starter course for 4, or as a snack for 2.

Tags: curryelvis, curry elvis, asian soup, fusion cuisine, world cuisine, global cuisine, meatballs, lettuce