Lovage grows wild in the south of France and Greece and was planted in my backyard a couple of years ago. Not knowing what to do with it, I was given a soup recipe from Deborah Madison.
The hardest part about this recipe is collecting the ingredients. But it gives you a chance to use those bunches of chard that are exciting to buy then occasionally languish in the refrigerator.
The original recipe uses butter and crème fraîche. This is a lower fat version.
While the color of the soup turns out to be sort of dull green, the flavors are incredibly lively and bright. Cilantro is listed as a substitute for lovage.
This is one of the best soups I have had.