Soups: Potato-Leek Soup in Bread Bowls

Subject: Potato-Leek Soup in Bread Bowls
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 13:31:10 -0600
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For Sheldon the doubter, another of my "signature dishes" not on the rfc site but which has been widely appreciated.

Potato-Leek Soup in Bread Bowls

The Soup:

2 large white potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large leeks, washed well and thinly sliced. Finely chop the green parts.
4 c. chicken broth or stock
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4-1/2 c. heavy cream (I use half & half most of the time)
dash grated nutmeg
1 Tbs. dried parsley for garnish (optional)

In a large pot, combine the potatoes, leeks, chicken broth and salt & pepper (to taste, really). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Strain the soup into a large mixing bowl or another pan. Blend the potatoes and leeks with about 1/4 broth until smooth (I use my stick blender for this). Return blended mixture to pan with remaining liquid. Stir in cream and nutmeg and heat through. Spoon into prepared bread bowls. Sprinkle with parsley to garnish. Serves 4

Now, you don't have to do the bread bowls, but they make it a plus :)

Bread Bowls

4 small round loaves of sourdough bread, unsliced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
4 Tbs. olive oil

Cut the tops from the round loaves about 3/4 inch thick to make 'lids'.Using a sharp knife, cut around the inside of the loaf leaving a 3/4" shell for the bowl to hollow out the center. (Saved removed bread to make croutons or breadcrumbs, etc.) Rub the inside of the bowls and the lids with crushed garlic and brush with olive oil. Bake on a baking sheet at 350F until slightly toasted. Serve the soup in the bread bowls. Don't forget, you can eat the bowl! (Place the "bread bowls" in a deep soup bowl or plate so it doesn't get all sloppy.)
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 13:37:37 -0600
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Jill wrote:
> For Sheldon the doubter, another of my "signature dishes" not on the
> rfc site but which has been widely appreciated.

Ooops, sorry, it's there! And it's delicious soup. Neener neener neener
LOL
From: MareCat (m_gormanNOSPAM at comcast.net)
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 15:20:14 -0500
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Jill McQuown wrote:
> For Sheldon the doubter, another of my "signature dishes" not on the rfc
> site but which has been widely appreciated.

I use frozen bread dough to make bread bowls--one loaf yields me three bowls.
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 19:29:57 -0600
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MareCat wrote:
> I use frozen bread dough to make bread bowls--one loaf yields me three
> bowls.

There ya' go! Great idea :) I'll put frozen bread dough on my shopping list. This is a nice soup for cold nights.
From: Bob Terwilliger (virtualgoth at die_spammer.biz)
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2007 16:16:20 -0800
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Jill wrote:
> Potato-Leek Soup in Bread Bowls

I'm not a big potato-leek soup fan, but this looks good. I would probably sprinkle cheese in the bottom of the bread-bowls before putting them in the oven, and I'd probably sprinkle bacon on top instead of parsley.

And then, the angioplasty. :-)
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 00:27:38 -0600
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kilikini wrote:
> I have been wanting to try this IN the bread bowl (because I love
> soup like that), but, Jill, where do you find the bread bowls? I'm
> lucky to find anything that isn't the consistency of "Wonder Bread"
> around here. Which store do you shop at? Maybe we have one here.

Sorry, sweetie, there isn't a Schnuck's in Florida. They have all sorts of freshly baked breads and the small sourdough rounds are among them. I haven't looked at Kroger but they might have them. Not sure about Winn-Dixie since their stores aren't this far to the northwest. Yep, try the frozen bread dough. Bake your own "rounds" then fill with soup :) Won't be sourdough but will still be tasty!