How do I keep the spinach green?

Boil the spinach quickly uncovered, and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. According to the recipe, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered baking soda also helps preserve the spinach color.

How long should the soup cook?

After the boiling stock is whisked into the butter, flour, and spinach mixture, the soup should simmer for 10 minutes. Allow about 45 minutes total, including cleaning and boiling the spinach.

What is served in the soup?

White bread cubes fried light brown in butter, or small egg dumplings.

How much of each ingredient is needed for 6 servings?

60 g butter, 60 g wheat flour, 2 liters of meat stock, and 1 kg spinach. The spinach is first boiled in 1/2 liter of water, which is strained off and mixed into the stock. The recipe is from Henriette Schonberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 59.

Spinach Soup I

Name: Spinach Soup I
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 kg spinach (quantity is uncertain in the original printing); 60 g butter; 60 g wheat flour; 2 l meat stock; 5 dl water (for boiling the spinach); 0.5 tsp salt (in the cooking water, preserves the color); 0.5 tsp baking soda (optional, keeps the color green); white bread cubes fried in butter, or small egg dumplings (for serving)

Erken's spinach soup (1914): spinach is quickly boiled with salt (and a little baking soda) to keep its color, finely chopped, and stirred into a butter-flour base together with 2 l of boiling meat stock. Simmered 10 minutes and served with buttered bread croutons or small egg dumplings.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 59 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A classic French-inspired vegetable puree from the soup chapter of Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914). Erken places great emphasis on preserving the fresh green color, using salt, quick uncovered boiling, and a touch of baking soda - a common trick in the kitchens of the day.

How to make it

1
Clean the spinach
Clean the spinach and remove the stems if it is not very young - a pair of kitchen scissors works well. Rinse the spinach in cold water, six times in fresh water.
2
Boil the spinach
Put the spinach on with 5 dl water, add 1/2 tsp salt (and optionally 1/2 tsp baking soda) to preserve the green color, and bring quickly to a boil uncovered.
3
Strain and chop
Strain the spinach. Mix the cooking water into the meat stock and chop the spinach very finely.
4
Make the soup
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and the chopped spinach. Whisk in the boiling stock, all at once.
5
Simmer and serve
Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with white bread cubes fried light brown in butter, or with small egg dumplings.

Changes from the original

Quantities are given in modern units (dl, tsp, g). The amount of spinach was partly illegible in the OCR and has been set to 1 kg. Baking soda is kept as an optional addition. The method has been divided into numbered steps.

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- Lurpak Dansk Smør 200 gLurpakca. kr 30,80 · Oda
- Hodne Søren Så Godt Smør 250gHODNE SØRENca. kr 67,90 · Coop

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Frequently asked questions

How do I keep the spinach green?: Boil the spinach quickly uncovered, and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. According to the recipe, 1/2 teaspoon of powdered baking soda also helps preserve the spinach color.
How long should the soup cook?: After the boiling stock is whisked into the butter, flour, and spinach mixture, the soup should simmer for 10 minutes. Allow about 45 minutes total, including cleaning and boiling the spinach.
What is served in the soup?: White bread cubes fried light brown in butter, or small egg dumplings.
How much of each ingredient is needed for 6 servings?: 60 g butter, 60 g wheat flour, 2 liters of meat stock, and 1 kg spinach. The spinach is first boiled in 1/2 liter of water, which is strained off and mixed into the stock. The recipe is from Henriette Schonberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 59.

Equipment for this dish

Cast-iron cookware set →Cast iron handles long, slow simmering – just what soups and stocks need.Engrospris.no

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