Lovage Soup Recipe

A friend brought me a bunch of lovage, so I thought I would use it up by making some soup.

I had no idea I would be making the best soup I’ve ever tasted!  It’s true, I am not exaggerating it was utterly delicious.

There are lots of recipes for this online but I’m going to tell it just like I made it and hope you like it.  Most recipes include milk but as I was sharing with a friend with COPD I left this out and didn’t miss it.  I did use lots of butter, but as many of the active ingredients in lovage are fat soluble I thought that was a good excuse!

Lovage has lots to recommend it from a health point of view.  The Greeks and Romans often used lovage for healing as well as for cooking. 

Being green it’s a good source of magnesium.  It’s also a good source of vitamin C, B complex and Quercetin which can ease allergies and is showing promise in treating Crohn’s disease.  It has a reputation as a digestive aid, helping to ease flatulence and indigestion. 

As I love working with clients with breathing issues, I was interested to find that it’s also known for easing lung irritation and pain and for helping soothe coughs and pleurisy.

Here’s how I made the soup.  It’s just enough for 2 small bowls.   As with all my recipes all measurements are approximate, so feel free to do it your own way!

Ingredients

1 tbs butter

1/2 tsp lovage seeds

1 onion chopped

1 large potato diced

handful of lovage leaves and stems, chopped

1 1/4 pints of chicken stock

Method

Gently melt the butter and fry the seeds, onion and potato until the onion is transparent.  I added the lovage at this stage although most recipes leave till the end.  Then add the stock and simmer with the lid on until all the ingredients are soft.  Liquidise and serve.  You can keep a few leaves to garnish.

Hope you enjoy this, I’m definitely planting some in my garden.