Leeks, The Worst Named Vegetable on Earth, But Hey, They’re Good.

Posted by Michael on Sep 30, 2008 in Recipes | 0 comments

Leek?  Why leek?  Why not chunder root or inbred onion cousin?  Okay, fine, rapeseed or ugli fruit are worse names, but still.

On to the soup.

Leeks are of course the sweet and sultry cousin of the onion, mild but with a distinct earthy-sweet flavour that makes them great as an accent for all kinds of things or you can sing their praises in a soup like this one.   Filled out with potato and cream, this soup is hearty enough to serve as supper but a small portion would also serve as a great starter.  If you’ve got some chicken stock ready in the freezer, this soup whips together quickly too, making for great elegance on a weeknight after work.  Serve it up with some dainty bread sticks if that’s what floats yer boat.

Cream of leek and potato soup

2 tablespoons butter

2 large leeks, cleaned and chopped

1 small stalk of celery, fine chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 russet potato (or other potato that mashes well), peeled and chopped into cubes

3 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)

1 cup 18-per-cent cream (coffee cream)

pinch of fresh chopped thyme leaves (or dried)

salt and plenty of fresh cracked black pepper

First, chop the root end off the leek, then chop the greens off, leaving only about an inch of green at the top of the white.   Split the leek lengthwise and fan out the layers.  Run them under running cold water to wash out any dirst.  Chop the leeks fine.  Heat a soup pot over medium heat for a few minutes and add the butter.  Add the leeks and celery and saute gently for seven minutes or so, until the leeks are very soft.  Add the garlic and saute another minute.  Add the potato chunks, then the chicken stock.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium low.  Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until the potato is very soft.  Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until very smooth.  Transfer back to the pot and add the cream, thyme, salt and pepper.  Simmer very gently on low heat for five minutes to infuse the thyme flavour and serve.