Challenge Week: Day 3… Potato Leek Soup May 12, 2010

One of the ingredients I am very excited about this week are the LEEKS we received from Double-T Farm (read more here).  I could hardly wait to use these little suckers!  I don’t know why but I am mildly obsessed with trying dishes with leeks.  Up until now, I’ve usually just ordered them in restaurants, but now I am ready to cook them at home.

After a brief Google search, I found about a gazillion (er, well… about 668,000) recipes online for Potato Leek Soup.  Given my adoration for potatoes, I knew this was the dish for me — plus all of the recipes looked pretty easy.  Many Potato Leek Soup recipes also meat, but it was not too hard to find a vegetarian option.  This is the recipe I chose from “Simply Recipes.”  I have had great luck with this website in the past, and best of all this dish really fits the title of “Simply.”

The main ingredients:

Leeks — cut them lengthwise, use the white and pale green (original recipe says 3 large — I think we had about 5 small)

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• Marjoram – dash (didn’t have it, so didn’t use it)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I did less… and I’d only do about 1/2 that next time)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (didn’t have it)
• Tabasco sauce
• Salt & Pepper

Just saute the leeks in butter (don’t brown them) for about 10 minutes.  Then add potatoes, broth, and water.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Puree 1/2 the soup, and mix it back in.  Add the spices and voila!  Delicious, hearty soup with an air of springtime!

Potato Leek Soup

Chickpea Curry February 3, 2010

Wow!  What a flavorful recipe!  Chris and I both enjoyed this hearty meal.  Chickpeas are one of our favorite foods,  but curry is fairly new to our kitchen.  While we like curry dishes when dining-out, we are just beginning to experiment with this spice at home.  Cannot wait to experiment more, my friends!  This recipe combined carrots, potatoes, green beans, with chickpeas and curry (of course).  With the cold weather that has been affecting NC, this is a great recipe to warm the soul.  Next time we make it, we’ll add MORE curry, I believe.  Check out the pictures!

By the way, I bought coconut extract for this recipe.  Not only was it great for the curry, the coconut flavor was perfect for the SNOW CREAM Chris made after our “big” (5 inches) snow storm!  Mmm Mmm!

Potato, Cauliflower, and Cheese Soup January 18, 2010

Tonight I made a new recipe for Potato, Cauliflower, and Cheese Soup.  It was not difficult to make, and didn’t take too long, either.  Since I was home for MLK Day, I was able to take my time, but it only took about 45 minutes total.  The blend of flavors was excellent!  I especially enjoyed the blue cheese!

Here’s how to make it:

Butter, Onions, and Garlic

Melt about 1 tbs of butter.  Then add onions and garlic.  Cook until the onions are translucent.  This only takes about 5 min.  The aroma will soon fill your kitchen!

Milk, Potatoes, Cauliflower, & Spices

Then add 1 lb diced potatoes, 1 lb cauliflower, 4 cups milk, 1 cup vegetable broth.  I also added a few dashes of salt and some red pepper.  Allow this mixture to come to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Maple View Farm Milk (Skim)

The original recipe called for 5 cups whole milk, but given my lactose issues, I decided to substitute 4 cups skim milk and 1 cup vegetable broth.  I prefer to use milk that I can trace back to the source, therefore we typically buy Maple View Farm milk (based out of Hillsboro, NC).  I like that they use glass bottles, which you can (and should) return to the store where you purchased the milk.  When you buy the milk, you pay a “bottle deposit,” and the money is refunded when you turn in the empty bottle.  Although you may go directly to the farm to buy the milk, I usually end up buying it from Harris Teeter or Whole Foods.

After Blending

After the potatoes have softened, use a blender or a food processor to liquify the soup.  I used a blender, and I needed to do several batches.  I took this opportunity to taste the soup — mmmm.  It needed a little bit more red pepper (IMO), so I added another dash.  After blending the soup, I warmed it up again and added about 1/3 a cup of blue cheese (from WI) and 1 1/2 cups of cheddar (from NY).  I wish I had found cheese made closer to home.  After the cheese melts, the soup is finished!

Agnes' Nap

Since I still had some time before Chris came home, I decided to make like Agnes and take a power nap while the soup stayed warm on the stove.

Final Product

When Chris came home, we enjoyed the soup with a side of biscuits and some white wine.  He and I both enjoyed it!  As you can see from the picture, Agnes was quite interested as well.

Although it does take some time, I would definitely make this soup again.  It was a tasty, wholesome dinner, that I enjoyed making this afternoon.  Another great benefit — we have 3.5 more servings for lunches this week.

Soups are an excellent way to warm your soul, especially in the chill of winter.  What’s your favorite soup?