VCE: Leek And Potato Soup

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Leek And Potato Soup

 

Recipe By : Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, page 208

Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Potatoes Soups And Stews

Vegetables

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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3 large leeks -- or 6 medium

white parts only -- finely chopped

1 1/2 pounds boiling or Yellow Finn potatoes -- scrubbed well

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and freshly milled pepper

Milk or water to thin the soup -- if needed

 

SERVES 4 TO 6

 

This French farmhouse soup - two humble vegetables simmered in water -

stands on its own and makes a solid base for a host of other soups. If the

potatoes are organic, leave the skins on for flavor and to give the soup

the rustic feel it should have.

 

Set the leeks in a bowl of water to soak while you prepare the potatoes,

then lift them out with a strainer, letting any sand fall to the

bottom. Quarter the potatoes lengthwise and thinly slice them.

 

Melt the butter in a wide soup pot, add the leeks and potatoes, and cook

over low heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Add 7 cups water all 1 1/2

teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially

covered, until the potatoes are soft to the point of falling apart, about

35 minutes. Press a few against the side of the pan to break them up and

give the soup body. If needed, thin the soup with milk and heat

through. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and serve. (A little cream

can replace the milk if you wish to enrich what is really quite a meager

soup. If your soup is very thick because of the type of potato used, thin

it with milk or water first, them add a small amount of cream at the end to

give it fullness.)

 

CREAMED LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

Pass the soup through a food mill. Thin with milk or water if needed, then

add 1/4 to 1/2 cup cream. Serve hot or chilled with finely chopped chives

and parsley or chervil. Chilled, it becomes vichyssoise.

 

CELERY ROOT OR FENNEL SOUP

Replace at least half the potatoes with chopped celery root or fennel and

cook as described. Use the fennel greens or celery leaves, finely chopped,

for garnish.

 

POTATO-SORREL SOUP

Add 2 to 4 large handfuls of sorrel leaves, stems removed, to the soup

along with the potatoes and leek. Pass through a food mill or leave chunky

and finish with 1/2 cup cream. This is a delicious, slightly tart, and

very refreshing soup, hot or cold.

 

WATERCRESS SOUP

Remove and discard the largest stems from a bunch of watercress. Blanch

the watercress briefly in salted water, finely chop or purée it, then add

to the soup along with 1/4 cup cream or crème fraîche.

 

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