Reflective Pool Summer Greens Soup

Here is another recipe of mine that came into existence out of necessity - too many summer greens to eat before they went bad - and an idea that turned out really well (if I say so myself). This tasted very refreshing and healthy, not at all grassy. And, of course, in view of current DC events, the soup title feels self explanatory.

I had it as soup for dinner and then froze the remainder to use as the base for an herbed crab dish, which I will post once I have made it.

This makes two large servings for dinner, or four appetizer portions.

6 cups assorted summer greens (use whatever you have on hand or see at the grocery store / market that looks good. Thanks to my CSA box, farmers' market, and fridge, I had a lot with which to work and used a mixture of fennel fronds, radish greens, carrot greens, kohlrabi leaves, lacinato kale, komatsuna, and baby spinach.)

2 green apples, cored but not peeled, roughly chopped

1 small white onion, peeled, halved and roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

2 large ripe avocados

Juice of one lemon

Salt to taste

Greek yogurt and chopped fennel and carrot fronds for garnish (optional)

Pack all of the greens in a large saucepan, along with the garlic, onion, and apple. Season generously with salt.

Add eight cups of water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover and cook for ten minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Once cool, blend well with an emuslsion blender or blender.

Pass the liquid through a cheesecloth, pressing on the solids to extract all of the juice.

Place the juice back in the clean blender or a new bowl if using an emulsion blender - you want a liquid with no residual solids in it at all.

Blend together with the flesh from the avocadoes. Add the lemon juice and blend again to ensure that the soup is completely smooth. Check for seasoning. If the apples were not as sweet as mine, you may want to add a dash of honey or a sprinkling of sugar to balance the flavors. You could also add hot sauce if you wanted something a bit zingier.

Chill until ready to serve and serve with the garnishes mentioned above, some chopped herbs, or a drizzle of cream or good olive oil.