Tonight's dinner was a type of meal that I have been eagerly anticipating since last winter: filled with produce from the garden. I originally got my inspiration when I went out to pick some fresh lettuce for our salads (I also picked peas and broccoli to put in the salads). I happened to walk past the herb garden when I realized that some creature (raccoon/cat, you know who you are!) had trampled through the bed, breaking some of my lovely leek stalks. I had been planning to do something with those leeks anyway and since I didn't want them to go bad, I picked the rest and decided to make leek and potato soup.
I found a great recipe from Gourmet Magazine (which I will post below) and proceeded to chop all the the leeks to bits. I sauteed them in some pasture butter along with garlic and onions, added chopped potatoes and turkey broth (saved for just such a purpose) and simmered until everything was nice and soft. I then blended it in batches until it was all smooth, added a bit of cream and fresh parsley from the garden and voila! The best leek soup I've had in a very long time (its possible I've had better, I just don't remember it).
The only off-putting thing was that because I used the leek leaves as well as the stalks (I hate to waste a plant that I grew), the soup turned out, well, kind of green. Normally it is a creamy color and mine looked like a mint julep. A garlicky mint julep (cue the cringing). I really don't care about the color though because as I previously mentioned, it was delicious! An even better attribute of this recipe is that it only took one hour from the time I decided to harvest the leeks until I served the bowls (chopping the leeks took a while). That is pretty quick if you ask me. So in total, vegetables from the garden included four leeks, lettuce, broccoli, peas, a handful of parsley and a couple of sprigs of thyme. These raised beds are finally starting to earn their keep (which is very easy)!
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
• 4 medium boiling potatoes
• 3 garlic clove, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 medium leeks (white parts only), halved lengthwise, sliced thin crosswise, and washed well
• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves (wash and dry before chopping)
Directions
Peel potato and dice fine. In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart saucepan cook garlic and onion in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Add potato and leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until potato is very tender.
If desired, in a blender purée soup in batches until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to another saucepan. Stir in cream, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and heat over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.
I found a great recipe from Gourmet Magazine (which I will post below) and proceeded to chop all the the leeks to bits. I sauteed them in some pasture butter along with garlic and onions, added chopped potatoes and turkey broth (saved for just such a purpose) and simmered until everything was nice and soft. I then blended it in batches until it was all smooth, added a bit of cream and fresh parsley from the garden and voila! The best leek soup I've had in a very long time (its possible I've had better, I just don't remember it).
The only off-putting thing was that because I used the leek leaves as well as the stalks (I hate to waste a plant that I grew), the soup turned out, well, kind of green. Normally it is a creamy color and mine looked like a mint julep. A garlicky mint julep (cue the cringing). I really don't care about the color though because as I previously mentioned, it was delicious! An even better attribute of this recipe is that it only took one hour from the time I decided to harvest the leeks until I served the bowls (chopping the leeks took a while). That is pretty quick if you ask me. So in total, vegetables from the garden included four leeks, lettuce, broccoli, peas, a handful of parsley and a couple of sprigs of thyme. These raised beds are finally starting to earn their keep (which is very easy)!
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
• 4 medium boiling potatoes
• 3 garlic clove, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 medium leeks (white parts only), halved lengthwise, sliced thin crosswise, and washed well
• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves (wash and dry before chopping)
Directions
Peel potato and dice fine. In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart saucepan cook garlic and onion in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Add potato and leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until potato is very tender.
If desired, in a blender purée soup in batches until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to another saucepan. Stir in cream, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and heat over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.
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