Recipe- Sorrel and Spinach Bisque

I kind of took this from Seasons of My Heart by Susanna Trilling.  It is a roasted poblano bisque in the book,  but I liked it because it uses ricotta, or requeson, in the recipe.  I had a whole lot of ricotta because Nathan made me some.  Well, he didn't actually make ME some, he just had to make some to make a starter culture for a cheese he was making.  Ricotta, or requeson literally means "re-cheesed" because that's what it is.  It is made out of whey, which if you know anything about making cheese, or Little Miss Muffet, you would know that whey is what comes out of the milk when you make cheese.  Usually the curds are all you worry about and the rest of the whey goes to the pigs.  But sometimes, when you really feel like it, the whey can be heated super hot and, if you add an acid (like lemon juice or vinegar), even more cheese will come out of the whey.  It has very tiny soft curds and we call it ricotta.  Nathan gave me the pile of ricotta and used the totally de-cheesed whey to make his starter....

Of course, all the vegetables are available at the Main Street Farmer's Market.  I can't say how long the sorrel and spinach will be around.  Alexzanna Farms has had sorrel the past few weeks and most everybody has had some kind of spinach, onions, or garlic scapes.  Unfortunately the milk and ricotta will have to be outsourced  because they are not yet available at the market (and probably won't be anytime soon, you just have to be really lucky/good at squeegeeing the cheese-house floor to get some of the real good stuff).

• 1 large pile torn fresh spinach leaves (maybe five cups)
• 1 smaller pile torn fresh sorrel leaves (maybe three cups)
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped spring onions
• 3-4 garlic scapes, chopped small
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 quart stock (I used lamb because that was the first thing I saw in the freezer.  Chicken or veggie would work just as well)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• Pinch of ground cayenne
• Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions and garlic scapes in butter in a soup pot over medium heat til the onions are soft.  Add the stock and bring to a simmer.  Throw in the leaves and cook til wilted. Stir in salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cool slightly, then blend in blender til smooth.  (I don't have a blender, just a food processor, so nothing ever gets quite smooth enough).  Mix about 1/2 cup of the mixture in with the ricotta in a bowl.  Add the ricotta mixture to the soup and blend again.  Pour mixture back into the pot and whisk in the milk.  Heat back up or cool it off to serve chilled.  Taste for salt and spice- a little jazzing up might be necessary.  If serving chilled, let cool at least three or four hours.  If serving hot, serve right away.