One Pot Wonder {Madhur Jaffrey's Spinach and Ginger Soup}

Have I ever mentioned that spinach is my favorite vegetable?
I like it raw in salad or on a sandwich in place (or butted up against) lettuce.
Briefly sauteed with mouth wash worthy amounts of garlic.
Ribboned through pasta.  Shrimp & pasta.  Chicken & pasta.
Creamed up into a dip.  Or casserole.  Shingled on pizza.  Scattered in soup.

Madhur Jaffrey's Spinach & Ginger Soup Perfumed with Cloves sounded like a great idea since the majority of the soup is spinach.

I came home from work and started on the soup.  It was easy and fast enough that I could have goofed off a little longer before starting to cook.

As I started cooking, I also started to have doubts.  There was a small amount of liquid and a large amount of vegetables in my pot.  I wondered if the carrots and potatoes would cook through.

I missed the clove part of the title and thought I was making spinach soup perfumed with ginger.  The cloves threw me, but I was tired and not in the mood to argue with my supper.

Once the spinach wilted down, things were underway just fine.  And it turned out that the cloves worked well as a perfume for spinach.

Review: This soup is highly flavorful.  While it is packed with vegetables, there really aren't many spices involved besides ginger and cloves.  For any spinach haters out there...first, we just can't be friends.  Second, the spinach does not stand out in the soup.  I can't say that any one flavor stood out; everything simply blends together well.  It's a filling soup, which is a hard thing for me to find.  While I thought it could pass for swamp water in appearance, The Husband liked the color.

This week's I Heart Cooking Clubs theme is "One Pot Wonder."

  

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Spinach & Garlic Soup Perfumed with Cloves
adapted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey

4 c low sodium chicken broth
1 10 oz bag of spinach, washed; reserve about 6 leaves for garnish
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 large Irish potato, peeled and chopped
1 Serrano pepper, chopped
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
Salt, to taste
1/4 c heavy cream, plus about 4 TBSP for garnish
juice of 1/2 a lemon
freshly ground black pepper

Add the chicken broth to a large pot.  Tear the spinach leaves as you add them to the pot.  Add the remaining ingredients except for the cream, lemon juice, and ground black pepper.  Stir to make sure the carrot, onion, and potato fall to the bottom of the pot.  Bring to a boil and stir occasionally to distribute the vegetables as the spinach wilts.  Lower the heat to a simmer and cover.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are fork tender.  With a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth.  Add the 1/4 cup of cream and lemon juice.  Stir and cook until heated through.

Chiffonade the reserved spinach leaves while the soup heats again.  Taste the soup for salt and add as needed.  Ladle into four bowls.  Drizzle about 1 TBSP cream into each bowl of soup.  Scatter reserved spinach over each serving and top with fresh, coarsely ground black pepper.