Potato Leek Soup

     There are few things in this world as satisfying as a warm, delicious bowl of homemade soup. There are so many kinds to make and experiment with. They are somewhat fool-proof, in that there's really no wrong way to make soup and no wrong ingredients to use. They can be made to fit any diet or health plan: vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, Paleo, you name it. Top it all off with the fact that they can be very inexpensive to make and it just makes me love them even more.

     Potato and leek soup is my 4 1/2 year-old's favorite soup, and one of her favorite meals. She gets a kick out of "drinking" it from a mug, so I let her. Hey, why not? When I asked everyone what my next recipe post should be she immediately jumped up and down and screamed, "POTATO LEEK SOUP!".

    

     So here you are, by request of my oldest.

Ingredients

(Will make 4-6 servings)

2 medium sized leeks

4-5 medium sized potatoes (roughly 2 1/2 lbs)

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

1 cup (or less) milk or cream

salt, pepper, desired seasoning

Step 1: Chop the tops off of the leeks. Slice the white stalks into long thin quarters, then chop the quarter stalks.

 Step 2: Place the chopped leeks into a bowl of cold water to rinse them.

TIP: Leeks are notoriously dirty throughout the entire vegetable. After soaking them briefly, remove them from the bowl with a pasta spoon, or small strainer. Do not pour them into a colander or pour the rinse water over the pieces. This would re-introduce all the dirt you just got off.

Step 3: Place the leeks into a hot saute pan with a little butter or oil (to keep from sticking), salt, pepper and any other spice you want to add to you soup. Saute the leeks for 20 minutes. They will be very soft and almost translucent when ready.

 

Step 4: Add your chicken stock to the pan. As you know I always make my own and it's a huge money saver.

TIP: If you add the stock to the pan frozen it will gradually thaw, which is ideal. Also it will allow the leeks even more time to break down further. The stock will take only about 10 minutes to thaw. This really simplifies everything. I never remember to pull the frozen stock out to thaw in time, and I'm often too impatient to let the leeks go as long as they should. This is a simple solution!

Step 5: Peel and chop your potatoes.

 

Step 6: Once the chicken stock has completely thawed, add the potatoes to the pan. Add up to 2 cups of water to ensure that all the potatoes are fully covered by liquid. Simmer on high until the potatoes are soft and easy to brake in the soup with a spoon.

Step 7: Turn the heat down to low and blend the soup. I recommend an immersion blender (I bought this one at T J Maxx for $15 and it's perfect) to save on dishes and keep it simple. If you don't have one, transfer the soup to a food processor or blender in small amounts and blend that way.

 

Step 8: Gradually add the milk or cream. Cream will make it richer and thicker, but also higher in fat. Milk will still make it smooth and creamy but be a little healthier at the same time. We almost always use milk. Add only enough milk to achieve your desired consistency. This may vary each time depending on the amount of stock and water used and your mood.

TIP: Anything that is being added as a consistency changer (thinner or thickener) should always be added as the very last step. Do not try to guess how much liquid will be needed to thin out a recipe until you see the finished product. It could be perfect. It could only need a dash, or maybe a whole cup. You will never have an accurate baseline to gauge off of if you try to thin or thicken before it is done. Let it show it's true colors before you go trying to change it.

Step 9: Let simmer on low for 5 minutes to fully incorporate any milk or cream added. Taste and add any seasoning necessary before serving.

  

     I bought a 10 lb bag of local potatoes for $5.49. Using roughly 2 1/2 lbs, I spent about $1.38 on potatoes. The 2 leeks cost $3.98 and the 1/2 cup of milk cost roughly $.25. The chicken stock, seasonings, and water are all pantry items I have on hand or were frugal byproducts, so they all cost me nothing. So for a total of $5.61 we made a hearty a delicious meal that pleased everyone. I even had enough left over for lunch the next day. In the fall this is even more economical because leeks are in season and less expensive.

Viola! Super easy and super simple.

Simple City Sam