Potato Leek Soup

It’s starting to get hot in DC, which means the office is starting to get freezing.  Office air conditioning is a curse and a gift, but it means that a lot of my lunches stay piping hot.  But if I want to eat al fresco, then I want my food either grilled or cold.  That is where potato leek soup comes in.  You can serve it piping hot or chilled ice cold.  This is one versatile soup.

To add to the versatility is the fact that you can substitute white onions for the leeks if you don’t have any around.  I learned that trick from Alton Brown.  I wound up making the soup this time around with onions and really enjoyed it.  Of course, if you have leeks, use them!  I did one additional substitution, which is that I used chicken broth.  I need to up my protein intake and so added it in.  It also added a nice flavor.

 

Potato Leek Soup – 1 Knife (Adapted from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest)

Ingredients:

• 3 fist-sized russet potatoes (or equivalent in size)
• 3 cups leeks (3 or 4 big stalks)
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 stalk celery (see below for celery storage tip for remainder of celery head)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup vegetable broth or water
• 3 cups milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• cracked white pepper to taste (or just use black, whatever)

Prep:

1. Wash the carrot and cut into ½ inch chunks. Set aside.
2. Wash the celery and cut into ½ inch chunks.  Set aside.
3. Wash and peel the potatoes.  Cut into ½ inch chunks.  Set aside.
4. Wash the leeks carefully to remove any sand and dirt. Cut off the roots at the bottom and the thick greens off the top so all that’s left is they white and light-green stem.  Cut the stem in half down the length, and then slice into ¼ inch pieces.  Set aside.

Cook:

1. Warm up 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Once melted add the leeks, potato, carrot and celery to the pot.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes to soften the leeks.
3. Add the broth to the mixture, cover and reduce to medium-low heat.
4. Cook for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender, stirring regularly.  You can add extra broth if the liquid runs low in the pot.
5. To puree you can use a stick blender directly in the pot, or you can transfer the content of the pot into a blender.  Blend together with the milk until smooth.   If the blender is too small for everything you can transfer half into the blender, blend it, then move it to a heat-proof bowl while you then blend the second half.  Then combine both portions in the pot and stir to mix them together.
6. Add the salt and pepper to the soup and stir to mix well.
7. If serving hot, ladle it into bowls and enjoy!  If serving chilled place it in the fridge for a few hours to cool, serve and enjoy!

* I love it when I have to buy a whole bag of celery for a recipe but only need one stalk – not!  To keep it from going limp and rotten while it hangs out in your fridge wash and cut the whole thing down to small sticks (think snack size) and place them in a bowl or container.  Cover the celery with water until its all submerged.  You can store the celery this way easily for a while, plus you have an easy to grab snack just hanging out in your fridge.

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Avocado-Grapefruit Soup

It has finally gotten hot in DC.  The last few days we’ve been in the 80s, and even though it already feels kind of gross I know it’s only a preview what’s to come over the next four+ months.  I am saving my all-time favorite cold soup, gazpacho, for when the vegetables for it are in season but I decided to make this cold refreshing soup now.

I know that the concept may seem strange, but the flavors go together really well.  As a lover of avocado, I was also excited to try something beyond the tradition guacamole-like roles avocado usually plays.  I will note that this soup is best eaten the day it’s prepared.  I found that after a few days the citrus became a bit more pungent.  But otherwise I have really enjoyed this soup!

 

Avocado-Grapefruit Soup – 1 Knife (Adapted from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant)

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados
• 2 cups grapefruit juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1¼ cups water
• ¼ cup apple juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

Cook:

1. Add to a blender the pulp of the avocados and grapefruit juice.  Puree the contents until very smooth.
2. Pour the puree into a large bowl and add in the salt, allspice, cinnamon, water, apple juice, and honey.
3. Stir well until everything is well mixed.
4. Chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving, and enjoy!

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