Grüendonnschtigsoppe
Also known as the “Sieben-Grün-Suppe” (seven green soup), this traditional soup was offered to those fasting on Gründonnerstag, Holy Thursday, as Lent came to an end.
There are conflicting accounts as to why this Thursday is ‘green’ for German speakers, with theories varying from the colours of the liturgical wear, the tradition of eating lots of green foods to help energize the body, or perhaps the word not being derived from a colour at all, but from the old word “greinen”, which can mean mourning or wailing.
Eating a green soup on ‘green’ Thursday was thought to not only energize the penitent, but bring them luck as well. Spring greens and wild herbs were often in the mix of greens included in the soup—like spinach, chard, Sauerampfer (sorrell), Bärlauch (wild garlic), leeks, spring onions, parsley and chives, though there are many other variations and some versions that contain nine or even twelve different greens.
My version contains the greens I had readily available (including some non-traditional, droopy basil I had leftover in the fridge), but you can use whatever greens you have.
I originally found a version of this recipe in Marianne Kaltenbach’s wonderful Aus Schweizer Küchen, where the greens were measured in handfuls and the soup was not pureéd—I added a couple of potatoes for creaminess and made the soup as smooth as possible, garnishing with breadcrumbs and a dribble of cream.
2 spring onions
2 young leeks
1 tbsp butter or oil
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 litres vegetable stock
around 100 g fresh spinach
handful each (around 10-15 g): wild garlic, chives, parsley, basil (or another green herb)
salt and pepper
Garnish:
4 slices of bread, cubed
a little oil or butter and seasonings
cream
Mince the white part of the spring onions and leeks, reserving the stem as part of the “greens”.
In a large soup pot, heat the butter or oil over medium heat. When it is sputtering, add the spring onion and leek and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped potato.
Add the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
Chiffonade the greens (including the tops of the spring onions and leeks), and chop the chives, reserving half of the spinach (this will be added raw just before blending to give the soup its bright green colour).
Add the greens and seasonings to the soup.
Cook for about 20 minutes or until all the greens have wilted and the potato is soft.
Let cool until warm, then pour into a blender (preferable) or food processor in batches, adding the raw spinach. Blend until smooth.
Warm again in a pot and serve with garnish.
Garnish:
In a small frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
When it is spluttering, add the bread and toss until toasted. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs.
Serve:
Stir a spoonful of cream into each bowl, and top with the toasted bread.
Use whatever kind of greens you have. Traditionally basil would not have been used, but I had some lying around and it worked well in the soup. Whatever you find in your fridge or garden should work.
Adding the raw, fresh spinach at the end will give your soup the nice, bright green colour.