Monday, January 19, 2009

Potato Leek Soup

This is an excellent soup. I haven't made it in a long while, which is why there isn't a picture...yet. An old friend of mine just had 10 pounds of leeks given to her, and since this recipe uses 6 leeks, I thought it would be good to pass on. I'll keep my eye out for more! I love leeks.

It is from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, and is so comforting and warm. I wish I had enough leeks to make this right now! This soup will get you through the winter. Make some!


Potato Leek Soup
Serves 8 to 10

2 dried bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried and crushed rosemary
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 celery stalks, strings removed, cut in 1/4-inch dice
6 leeks, white parts, thinly sliced and well washed (follow the link for a quick how-to)
4 shallots, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 quarts homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned broth
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Tie the bay leaves, rosemary, parsley and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium stockpot. Add the celery, leeks, shallots and garlic, cook on low heat until very soft, about 45 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Do not brown. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, and reserved bouquet garni. Cover, and bring to a boil; reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni and discard.

3. Working in batches, pass only half of the soup through a food mill fitted with a medium disk, (or process carefully in batches in a food processor), into a large saucepan. Add the remaining chunky soup. (I like my potato soup smooth and creamy, so I mill/process all the soup). Place the saucepan on medium-low heat to warm the soup. Slowly stir in milk and cream, and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

2 comments:

  1. it's hard to beat good tater soup, and that's exactly what this is. i love the incorporation of the leeks--nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really must try this recipe, it is one of my favorite soups. My mother made the very best potato leek soup I have ever tasted. Each time I eat this soup I think of her and wish I could make it as good as she did. Mother often made this soup for our many BYU football tailgate parties. Nothing better on a cold crisp fall afternoon than my mom's soup (especially Potato Leek), good freinds, family and football.
    Sounds like a good soup for a cold, foggy winter day--time to make some soup!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on this post! We at the Bad Girl's Kitchen enjoy sharing recipes, ideas, questions and thoughts about food.

Spam, whether marketing, religious or personal, WILL be promptly deleted. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MINE.