Before I begin rambling about soup, let me first congratulate my co-blogger and dear friend Beth and her wonderful husband Ben on the arrival of their beautiful new baby boy, Simon Henry, who arrived last Monday afternoon. Not only is he handsome, sweet and perfect; as is to be expected, he's apparently a very good eater! Mazel Tov!
Now then, soup. I was recently reading a diet book (what? My husband reads books about WWII submarine attacks and he's never actually done that either.) and the author, a natural foods chef, was singing the praises of pureed vegetable soups and their ability to fill you up with good, delicious, fiber-rich vegetables while leaving you satisfied and generally happy. Good point, I thought. I like everything about that idea. I've always been especially fond of potato-leek soup. Now, before you have an Atkins seizure, even the author of the diet book defended the potato in moderation, so long as it isn't saturated with fatty toppings. You may recall from previous posts my affection for potatoes, but this seemed like a safe and rational way to enjoy them, so I hit the web in search of recipe ideas.
Since, to the best of my knowledge, the ingredients for potato-leek soup should be something like: potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, salt, pepper, I was sort of surprised to see that a lot of the recipes I saw called for a lot of fat, a lot of dairy and a lot of crazy steps like roasting all of the vegetables in advance. Suddenly, potato-leek soup was seeming a little more complex than necessary and therefore, a lot less delicious and comfy. In the interest of full disclosure, I am expecting my 2nd baby in October and am only interested in things that are easy and comforting.
So, I made up my own recipe and am pleased to report that it came out beautifully. The soup was delicious, filling and practically creamy, but is also nutritious and really simple. You'll notice I used an immersion blender which made it especially easy, but you could definitely use a food processor or good blender to puree the soup and still get the same result. Also, unlike, 99.9% of my recipes, it can easily be made vegetarian by simply substituting the pancetta for plain old butter or olive oil and the chicken & beef stocks for vegetable stock. Try it!
Potato & Leek Soup
Ingredients:
1 T. Olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, diced (ask the guy at the deli for 2-1/2" slices and dice them yourself at home, or, look for it prepackaged and diced near other deli meats. To dice it easily at home, place the slices in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping.)
4 Leeks
4 - 5 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (I used plain old Russets)
2 Quarts (64 ounces) chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or any combination thereof (I used 1Q chicken and 1Q beef stock)
2 tsp Kosher salt (or more to taste)
2 tsp black pepper (or more to taste)
Optional ingredient: 3 T. Half and Half
Possible garnish: fresh chives, shredded parmesean cheese, creme fraiche, fresh croutons or crispy crumbled bacon.
Instructions: To clean leeks, make a long horizontal slice from 1" above the root end of each leek through the green end. Turn leek one quarter turn and repeat the cut, effectively slicing the leek into horizontal quarters, still attached at the white end. Shake leeks gently to separate leaves and soak in a bowl of clean cool water to remove sand and dirt between layers. Remove leeks from water and shake gently to dry a little. Then, discarding the root end and the dark green ends, slice the white and light green sections into 1/2" slices.
Heat olive oil in a large pot and add pancetta. Saute, stirring frequently to render fat and allow pancetta to brown evenly, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the leeks and saute until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, then cover with stock, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper...you can add more later.
Cover pot and simmer for about 30 minutes until potatoes are extremely tender. Remove soup from heat and, using an immersion blender, puree soup until a thick but smooth consistency is achieved. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer soup to a food processor or good blender in several batches and puree to desired consistency. Season again with additional salt and pepper to suit. For a richer flavor, add half and half and stir to combine while soup is still hot. I found the starch in the potatoes created a creamy texture all on its own, so I didn't use the half and half I had bought for this purpose, but if you're feeling decadent, go for it. Just don't get carried away!
Serve soup immediately with your choice of garnish and enjoy! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 5 days for easy reheating, but this soup freezes very well also!
Now then, soup. I was recently reading a diet book (what? My husband reads books about WWII submarine attacks and he's never actually done that either.) and the author, a natural foods chef, was singing the praises of pureed vegetable soups and their ability to fill you up with good, delicious, fiber-rich vegetables while leaving you satisfied and generally happy. Good point, I thought. I like everything about that idea. I've always been especially fond of potato-leek soup. Now, before you have an Atkins seizure, even the author of the diet book defended the potato in moderation, so long as it isn't saturated with fatty toppings. You may recall from previous posts my affection for potatoes, but this seemed like a safe and rational way to enjoy them, so I hit the web in search of recipe ideas.
Since, to the best of my knowledge, the ingredients for potato-leek soup should be something like: potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, salt, pepper, I was sort of surprised to see that a lot of the recipes I saw called for a lot of fat, a lot of dairy and a lot of crazy steps like roasting all of the vegetables in advance. Suddenly, potato-leek soup was seeming a little more complex than necessary and therefore, a lot less delicious and comfy. In the interest of full disclosure, I am expecting my 2nd baby in October and am only interested in things that are easy and comforting.
So, I made up my own recipe and am pleased to report that it came out beautifully. The soup was delicious, filling and practically creamy, but is also nutritious and really simple. You'll notice I used an immersion blender which made it especially easy, but you could definitely use a food processor or good blender to puree the soup and still get the same result. Also, unlike, 99.9% of my recipes, it can easily be made vegetarian by simply substituting the pancetta for plain old butter or olive oil and the chicken & beef stocks for vegetable stock. Try it!
Potato & Leek Soup
Ingredients:
1 T. Olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, diced (ask the guy at the deli for 2-1/2" slices and dice them yourself at home, or, look for it prepackaged and diced near other deli meats. To dice it easily at home, place the slices in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping.)
4 Leeks
4 - 5 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (I used plain old Russets)
2 Quarts (64 ounces) chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or any combination thereof (I used 1Q chicken and 1Q beef stock)
2 tsp Kosher salt (or more to taste)
2 tsp black pepper (or more to taste)
Optional ingredient: 3 T. Half and Half
Possible garnish: fresh chives, shredded parmesean cheese, creme fraiche, fresh croutons or crispy crumbled bacon.
Instructions: To clean leeks, make a long horizontal slice from 1" above the root end of each leek through the green end. Turn leek one quarter turn and repeat the cut, effectively slicing the leek into horizontal quarters, still attached at the white end. Shake leeks gently to separate leaves and soak in a bowl of clean cool water to remove sand and dirt between layers. Remove leeks from water and shake gently to dry a little. Then, discarding the root end and the dark green ends, slice the white and light green sections into 1/2" slices.
Heat olive oil in a large pot and add pancetta. Saute, stirring frequently to render fat and allow pancetta to brown evenly, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the leeks and saute until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, then cover with stock, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper...you can add more later.
Cover pot and simmer for about 30 minutes until potatoes are extremely tender. Remove soup from heat and, using an immersion blender, puree soup until a thick but smooth consistency is achieved. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer soup to a food processor or good blender in several batches and puree to desired consistency. Season again with additional salt and pepper to suit. For a richer flavor, add half and half and stir to combine while soup is still hot. I found the starch in the potatoes created a creamy texture all on its own, so I didn't use the half and half I had bought for this purpose, but if you're feeling decadent, go for it. Just don't get carried away!
Serve soup immediately with your choice of garnish and enjoy! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 5 days for easy reheating, but this soup freezes very well also!
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