I have made potato and leek soup before, and found it to be pretty bland. So I found a basic recipe and twisted it around to make it delicious! Hope you enjoy :)
Potato Leek Soup (with a twist)
Ingredients:
5 Cups strong chicken broth (throw an extra bouillon cube in if you are making it with them, the potatoes soak up so much salt that it's OK if it is strong broth)**
2-3 Leeks
1 Medium Onion
5-6 garlic cloves
3/4 Cup butter
1/2-3/4 Cup dry white or pink wine (DO NOT USE FRUITY WINE! But if all you have in the fridge is a pink table wine, that will work! It did for me... ;)
3 Jumbo Russet potatoes (maybe 5-6 regular sized? It's OK if it isn't exact here)
3-4 Stalks celery
3/4-1 Cup Carrots (sticks/chips/chopped, any way will work)
2 Bay leaves
1/4-1/2 Evaporated milk (or heavy cream, if you're feeling decadent!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Get the broth going in a big pot, over medium heat (especially if you are making your own). Trim most of the green off of the leeks, and cut the white lengthwise to rinse out any sand. Slice into about 1/8-1/4" wide pieces. Chop the onion into similar sized pieces. Finely chop or crush the garlic. Melt most of the butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat (reserve about 1/4 Cup), and put the onions, leeks and garlic in with it. Keep the veggies going until pretty soft, starting to brown just a little. Deglaze the pan with the wine (pour into the pan with the veggies and stir/scrape up any tasty bits that may have stuck to the bottom). Let the veggies cook in here for a couple minutes. Dump this into the pot with the broth, and toss in the bay leaves. Dice the potato into 1/2" cubes (leave the skin on, it's SO tasty!). Scoop half of the remaining butter into the frying pan, and lightly saute the cubed potatoes. Toss the potatoes into the soup. Dice up the celery and carrots (carrot sticks: cut in half, carrot chips: leave whole). Scoop the remaining butter into the frying pan, and lightly saute them together. Toss those into the pot with the soup. Let this cook down for 30-60 minutes, until the vegetables are as soft as you want them to be. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, mix in the evaporated milk. Some people like to use a stick blender at this point to puree the soup, but not me. It's up to you.
Delicious hearty meal, great served with fresh-baked rolls!!
**If you want to go totally vegetarian on this, you can substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth, I'm sure it would be just as tasty :)
This may seem like a lot of chopping and sauteing, but I promise it is worth it! And really, with the measurements, go with your gut. If you like more onions, go ahead. No milk? Just fine. And if there is any extra veggies you think might be tasty, toss 'em in! I have added zucchini and yellow squash. I think other "root type" vegetables would be excellent, also. The only "hard number" in this recipe is probably the broth, and only so that there is enough liquid for the solids pieces.
