Potato Leek Soup

One of my most favorite parts of working outside my home was being able to eat something someone else prepared for lunch each day. Most days I ate a salad from the grocery store down the street or we picked up soup and salad from a restaurant. The best soup was always the potato leek. I have never made it up until this point, but in browsing the fresh veggies the leeks always seem to call to me. I finally gave in and bought them. After doing some research, this is the soup I ended up with. I don't use cream, half & half, milk or creme fraiche like many of the recipes I found online which makes it a bit less fatty. To cut down the fat even more, you could go with just the EVOO instead of the butter & EVOO.

Potato Leek Soup

2 med. leeks, trimmed of dark green leaves, sliced lengthwise & washed well (Save dark greens)
8-10 small-med. potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
minced garlic (4-5 cloves)
32 oz. vegetable stock*
salt & pepper
EVOO
2 Tbsp. butter

*I made my own vegetable stock using the dark greens & root pieces from the leeks, the carrot peelings & ends, celery leaves & ends along with some herbs, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Just add water enough to cover and then some (about 8-10 cups). Strain the mixture before using.*

Place potatoes into vegetable stock and cook until fork tender.

While potatoes are cooking, dice leeks and saute in a fry pan along with the carrot, celery & garlic in a mixture of EVOO & butter. Remove from heat once leeks become translucent and mixture is very fragrant.

Once potatoes are done, remove from the liquid (I use my spider skimmer) and place into food processor (or blender). Add just enough of the cooking liquid to make a thick, yet soupy base (about 6 cups). Place potato mixture back into the pot and add in the leek mixture. Cook low and slow for a couple of hours, stirring every so often to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pan.

I served this with our homemade sandwich bread which was sliced thick, smeared with some butter and Parmesan and stuck under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes. (Just long enough to melt the cheese and brown the edges. It was a terrific accompaniment.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Well, our Wednesday meal was a rather simple one. I hard boiled just over a dozen eggs, peeled them, used my handy dandy egg slicer to mince them, added diced celery, salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder, a bit of Miracle Whip & plain low fat organic yogurt and made egg salad.

I also opened three cans of solid white tuna, drained & rinsed it and then added diced celery, a whole apple, diced along with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder, a little bit of Miracle Whip, plain low fat organic yogurt and made tuna salad.

I served some lettuce on the side & a mixture of diced cukes & tomatoes.

We ate the tuna/egg salad on homemade potato rolls. Usually I add half whole wheat flour and half white flour, but I probably used 1/4 whole wheat this time because I ran out. I would have taken pictures, but I was so hungry that I just wanted to eat. Who knew sandwiches could make such an awesome meal? These make FANTASTIC hamburger/sloppy joe buns as well. Here is the recipe I use:

Potato Buns

2/3 c. sugar
1 c. mashed potatoes
1/4 unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. canola oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. yeast (or one packet)
1 c. warm water
approx. 5 c. of flour

Mix together the sugar through the salt in mixer bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (I usually add a bit of sugar to this) and add to bowl. Add 3 c. of the flour all at once. Add remaining flour gradually until dough comes together and leaves sides of mixer bowl. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until dough is no longer sticky and elastic. Cover and rise in well oiled bowl for about 45 minutes. Remove dough and pat out to about 3/4" to 1" thickness. Cut with a 3" biscuit/cookie cutter. Lay close together (but not touching) on large silpat covered sheet pans. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake for 10-15 mins. at 375 F.

This recipe, oddly enough, can also be used as a doughnut dough just by increasing the sugar to a full cup.