Spinatsuppe (Spinach Soup)
Submitted by TERESSA
Traditional Norwegian spinach soup (Spinatsuppe) built on a rich chicken stock and thickened with a butter roux. Garnished with sliced hard-cooked eggs for a classic Scandinavian touch, ready in about an hour.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minSpinatsuppe is a staple of Norwegian home cooking, the kind of soup that shows up on Easter tables and cold-weather weeknights alike. It’s built on a foundation of good chicken stock, which does most of the flavor work.
The technique is proper European: simmer the spinach in stock, press out every drop of liquid through a sieve, then thicken the broth with a butter and flour roux before adding the chopped spinach back in. This two-step process gives you a soup with real body and concentrated green flavor.
White pepper and nutmeg are the traditional seasonings. They’re gentler than their black pepper and stronger spice cousins, letting the clean taste of spinach and chicken come through. Sliced hard-cooked eggs on top is the Norwegian finishing touch that makes this feel like a proper bowl of Spinatsuppe.
Chef Tips
- Press the simmered spinach firmly through the sieve to extract maximum flavor. That green-tinted stock is liquid gold.
- Whisk the hot stock into the roux gradually. Dumping it all in at once invites lumps.
- Fresh spinach gives the cleanest flavor, but frozen works fine if you thaw and drain it thoroughly first.
- A spoonful of crème fraîche stirred in at the end adds a Scandinavian richness that’s hard to resist.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the fresh spinach thoroughly under cold running water to remove any sand.
Drain by shaking it vigorously by hand or in a lettuce basket, then chop coarsely.
If frozen spinach is used, thoroughly defrost and drain it.
Bring 2 quarts of chicken stock to a boil in a 3 to 4 quart saucepan and add the fresh or frozen chopped spinach.
Simmer uncovered about 6 to 8 minutes, then pour the entire contents of the pan into a sieve set over a large bowl.
Press down hard on the spinach with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all it’s juices.
Set the liquid aside in the bowl and chop the cooked spinach very fine.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the saucepan.
When the foam subsides, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour.
With a wire whisk, beat the hot stock into this white roux a little at a time.
Return the saucepan to the heat and, stirring it constantly, bring it to the boil.
Then add the spinach.
Season soup with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Half cover the pan and simmer soup over low heat about 5 minutes longer.
Stir occasionally.
Garnish each serving of soup with a few slices of hard-cooked egg.
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