Get your peelers ready!

It may seem a little strange posting a soup recipe in April, but where I am…today it’s chilly out there! My family goes crazy for this soup almost any time of year, especially when someone has their braces adjusted and needs to avoid crunchy things for a few days.

Leeks are a member of the onion family but have a much milder taste. Be careful though – they grow in very sandy soil and are famous for having tons of dirt and sand stuck in their layers.  Be sure to wash these guys really, really well before you use them so that you don’t end up with sand soup.

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4  large leeks (they look like green onions, only 10 times bigger!)
• 2  pounds Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth, reduced sodium
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup milk, half & half, or heavy cream

Equipment:

• Soup pot (4 qts.)
• Cutting board
• Knife (paring or chef’s)
• Vegetable peeler
• Blender
• Large bowl
• Large spoon for stirring
• Ladle for serving

Cut the dark green leafy part of the leeks off (light green is ok) and discard. Cut the root of the leek off the end. Now, cut the leek in half lengthwise (longways).  Keeping the leeks as together as you can, hold each leek under cold running water to wash out the dirt and grit.  Once clean, slice the leeks crossways into small pieces.

Place the soup pot on the stove over medium heat.  Add the butter to the pot and let it melt. This should take a minute or two.  Add the leeks to the pot and stir to coat in the butter.  Stirring every minute or two, let the leeks cook for 10 minutes, or until they’re soft but not brown.

While the leeks are cooking, peel your potatoes with a vegetable peeler.  Throw away or compost the potato peels.  Cut the potatoes into 1” to 2” pieces. (Hint: The smaller your potato pieces, the less time they will take to cook.)

Add the potatoes to the leeks.  Pour in the chicken broth to cover the potatoes. Bring the chicken broth up to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove soup pot from the hot burner (CAUTION: HOT STUFF!).  Remove the top from the blender and ladle in the potato soup mixture until the container is about ½ full (you’ll need to do this in two batches).  IMPORTANT: Remove the center piece from the blender lid.  This will help to prevent the hot soup from exploding out of the blender due to a build-up of steam. Cover the hole with a dishtowel folded over 4 times and carefully hold it in place while blending.

Blend the soup on medium speed until smooth.  Pour the blended soup into the large bowl.

Ladle the remaining un-blended potato mixture into the blender and repeat the blending process with the rest of the soup.

Return all of the soup to the soup pot.  Add your milk, half and half, or heavy cream and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper until it tastes the way you like it.  Serve in mugs or bowls.

Time:            45 minutes

Grown-up Permissions:

Knife work (potatoes, leeks)  ­                              _________________

Stove work (sautéing leeks, simmering soup)  _________________

Blender use (pureeing soup)                                _________________

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