Cream-free Creamy Leek-Potato Soup

This clever version of leek and potato soup comes from Cook's Illustrated, one of the best cooking magazines out there -- if you enjoy knowing why things cook the way they do. The folks at CI came up with a version of this soup that is rich and creamy, but doesn't rely on any fatty cream. Instead, the creamy texture comes from including some bread crumbs into the soup before pureeing - brilliance! And tasty to boot!

Creamy Leek-Potato Soup
Cook's Illustrated

4 medium leeks, white and light-green parts both
2 c chicken or vegetable stock
2 c water
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 c)
salt
1 small russet potato (about 6 oz), peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4" slices
1 bay leaf
1 4" sprig fresh thyme or tarragon
1 large slice of high-quality sandwich bread, lightly toasted, and torn into 1/2" pieces
pepper

Separate leeks into white and light green parts. Begin with the dark green parts -- half them, rinse them well, and cut them into 2" pieces.

Add the dark green leek pieces to the stock and water. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain (or lift) solids from the stock and discard solids.

Halve the white parts of the leek lengthwise. Rinse well and slice thin. You should have about 4 c of white leeks.

Melt butter in a stockpot or Dutch oven. When butter foams, stir in sliced leeks, onion, and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened -- about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to high. Stir in reserved stock, potato, bay leaf, and herb sprig. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add toasted bread and simmer until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes.

Remove and discard bay leaf and herb sprig. Puree soup with an immersion blender, or, in batches using a counter blender. Return soup to saucepan and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Cook's Illustrated also recommended lightly frying leek strips as a garnish. This involves using the white parts only. Cut them into thin strips, dust with flour, salt and pepper and lightly fry in olive oil (about 6 minutes). Drain on paper towels, and use as garnish in the soup.

Comments

Cauliflower and Arugula Soup with Tibetan Flatbread

Because the weather is chilly, and because I had a bag of arugula from the last farm box taunting me, only to be compounded by a fresh bag of arugula from the recent farm box, I decided to try this soup I found from a blog associated with a California-based CSA, Eat Outside the Box . Cauliflower and Arugula Soup Eat Outside the Box farm blog 1 head cauliflower 1 red or white onion, peeled and chopped 3/4 lb zucchini, peeled and chopped 1/4 lb arugula 15 oz stock 15 oz water 1 T olive oil salt and pepper Parmesan cheese, grated First, let me state how important it is to wash your arugula before using it. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get lazy and rely on the "well, if it doesn't kill me, it'll just make me stronger" approach to washing my foods and vegetables. This laziness is only enhanced when the food I'm considering has come from an organic farm. But leaving aside all the various things that can get on the food

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking. Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take

Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes

We destroyed these. In a good way. It's a lovely-to-look-at dish, chock full of vegetables. More so than I had anticipated, and more so than most soba noodle dishes I've made in the past. We absolutely gobbled this up! Served here with a five-spice chicken and smashed cucumbers. The original calls for nori. We don't love nori so left it out. Maybe we are missing a part of the experience, but even without it, this was delicious. Chilled Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Snow Peas, and Radishes Cook's Illustrated 8 oz soba noodles 3 T white miso paste 3 T mirin 2 T toasted sesame oil 1 T sesame seeds 1 tsp ginger, grated 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/3 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, seeded, sliced thin 4 oz snow peas, strings removed, cut lengthwise into matchsticks 4 radishes, trimmed, halved, sliced thin into half-moons 3 scallions, sliced thin Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Stir in noodles and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally

Donut Army

Search This Blog