Fat Hen with Hen Fat

[madbaker]

This week's Resolution Recipe: Fat Hen Soup.

1 bunch fat hen (or lambs quarters, white goosefoot, and other tasty names)
2 Tbsp butter (I used less)
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped (I used... more)
1 cup chicken stock (There's the hen fat!)
pinch nutmeg
3 Tbsp cooked rice
2 Tbsp creme fraiche (I used Euro-yogurt)

Pick over the fat hen and wash thoroughly, discarding tough stems. Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until soft but not brown. Add the stock and fat hen. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the greens are tender. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Puree in a blender with the cooked rice. Return to a clean pan, stir in the creme fraiche, and reheat but do not boil. Serve, garnishing with a dollop of creme fraiche and some chopped chives.

What worked: It was moderately healthy and a decent summer soup.

What didn't: It was uninspiring.

Will I make it again? Probably not. I'd rather use the fat hen to make vegetarian tacos.

What I'm reading: Elizabeth Bear, Range of Ghosts

Comments

[desperance.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you had Fat Hen over here! It's endemic in England, and I once had the pleasure (it was a pleasure for me, at least) of explaining the plant and its uses to a man who had written a novel called "Fat Hen" without knowing the first thing about it...

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

The farmer from whom we get our weekly vegetable box grows it. Perhaps it's more accurate to say he harvests it, being a weed and all.