REQUEST: Potato Leek Soup

Subject: REQUEST: Potato Leek Soup
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking

From: ez007214 at bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu (Krista Fechner)
Date: 5 Dec 1995 08:47:08 GMT
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Hi! I've never posted here before. I hope someone can help me out. My mom is looking for a recipe for a yummy potato-leek soup to make over the holidays. Can anyone suggest one?

From: ebeatty at gate.net (Edward Beatty)
Subject: Recipe: Leek and Potato Soup
Date: 5 Dec 1995 16:23:09 -0500
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Title: Leek and Potato Soup
Keywords: Vegetable, Poultry, Chicken, Stock, Dairy, Celery, Butter, Cream

1/4 pound leeks (about 3 large)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1 quart chicken broth
1 stalk celery
salt
white pepper

Finely chop leeks (mostly white part) and celery. Melt 1/4 cup butter and add leeks. Reduce heat, cover and cook leeks 5 minutes or until they "sweat". Do not fry. Add water, broth, potatoes, and salt, and pepper to taste and simmer 45 minutes or until leeks and potatoes are very soft. Put vegetable mixture through sieve and return to pot. If too thick, add more chicken broth. Just before serving, add remaining 1/4 cup butter and heavy cream and heat through.

Notes: Instead of stuffing the vegetable mixture through a sieve, puree it in a food processor. Can be served cold.

Serves 8.

From: zimm at hmivax.humgen.upenn.edu (Peanut)
Date: 6 Dec 1995 18:39:37 GMT
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This is a favorite of my family:

Take 6 leeks, white parts only, wash them well* and slice into pennies. Cube 6-8 red potatoes, skin on or off. Melt a bit of butter in a large frying pan or saucepan and cook the leeks until they are translucent. Sprinkle 2 T flour over them and cook for a minute or so. Add 2 cans chicken broth and around 2 cups water. Add potatoes and cook until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and add 3 T cream or milk. Thawed chopped spinach can be added at this time, it's optional. Consume with black bread and make yummy noises.

*To wash leeks, cut the green parts and roots off, slice the leeks lengthwise all the way to the middle. Wash in between each layer. In order to keep so much of the leeks white, sand is piled up around the stem so it can often get inside and stay there.

From: Laurie Duhamel (lduhamel at Direct.CA)
Date: 7 Dec 1995 01:36:35 GMT
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Peanut wrote:

To make Leek & Potato Soup,

> Take 6 leeks, white parts only, wash them well* and slice into
>pennies. Cube 6-8 red potatoes, skin on or off. Melt a bit of butter in
>a large frying pan or saucepan and cook the leeks until they are
>translucent. Sprinkle 2 T flour over them and cook for a minute or so.
>Add 2 cans chicken broth and around 2 cups water. Add potatoes and cook
>until they are soft, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper,
>remove from heat and add 3 T cream or milk. Thawed chopped spinach can
>be added at this time, it's optional. Consume with black bread and make
>yummy noises.

This is how I make mine, too, except I fry up some bacon first and then saute the leeks in some of the bacon fat (take the bacon out and add back when serving). I also add some nutmeg (essential!) near the end of the cooking and sprinkle more in the bowls.

From: iy09 at jove.acs.unt.edu (Rubenfield Daniel)
Date: 7 Dec 1995 21:32:25 GMT
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> To make Leek & Potato Soup,

Perfect spice..
LOTS OF DILLWEED for this recipe.. you will not be dissapointed...

-Dan

From: Roy Gass (Roy.Gass at ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM)
Date: Fri, 8 Dec 1995 16:30:55 GMT
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personally, i like rosemary with my potato soup; only a tad added near the end.

From: chiapet1 at ix.netcom.com (Rebekah Burdett Lu)
Date: 9 Dec 1995 03:45:21 GMT
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Title: LEEK AND POTATO SOUP
Categories: Soups, Vegetables, Potatoes
Yield: 8 servings

6 Leeks; (2 1/2-3 lbs.)
1/4 c Butter; or margarine
1/4 c Parsley; chopped fresh
2 Potatoes; (about 1 lb.); *
3 1/2 c Rich chicken broth; or 2 cn Chicken broth
1/2 c Half-and-half; (light cream)
Salt; (optional)
18 T white pepper * peeled an

root ends of leeks; remove and discard coarse outer leaves. Cut off and discard green tops so that leeks are about 9" long. Split length wise, from leafy end, cutting to within about 1" of root end. Soak in cold water for several minutes; then separate leaves under running water to rinse away any clinging grit; drain. Slice about 1/4" thick. 2. Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat; add leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft but not browned. Mix in pepper, parsley, potatoes, and broth. Bring to boiling, cover, reduce heat slightly, and boil gently until potatoes are very tender (about 30 minutes). 3. Puree mixture, about half at a time, in a blender or food processor until /smooth. Return to cooking pan and stir in half-and-half. Taste, and add salt if needed. Reheat slowly to serving temperature, stirring often. Do not boil.

From: madelin at north.pacific.net (Madelin Holtkamp)
Date: 7 Dec 1995 17:36:02 GMT
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For 2 servings (you can multiply as much as needed):

I medium leek, cleaned and sliced into 1/8" slices
1 large russet potato, quartered lengthwise and sliced the same

Melt a pat of butter in your pot and cook the leeks gently until soft. Add the potatoes, salt to taste, and water to barely cover. Simmer until the potatoes are coming apart. Check seasoning. Stir in cream, 1/2 & 1/2, or (my favorite) sour cream as desired. Reheat GENTLY if needed, and stir in a handful of finely chopped parsley just before ladling into warm bowls.

Some variations:
- cook sliced cloves of garlic with the leeks
- make a vegetable chowder by adding carrots, celery etc. with the leeks
- use onions if you have to
- use herbs other than parsley (I like tarragon)
- use several different types of potatoes at once
- omit the dairy products and just put a pat of butter in the bowl

I could eat this every day of my life!

From: kleist at gdls.com (Don Kleist)
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 08:41:41 -0400
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Joel Ehrlich posted this recipe recently:

> Vichyssoise Creme Glacee No. 3498 Yields 8 Servings
> ~~~ Chef Louis Diat

For those who are interested, others may ignore, Louis Diat was a long time chef at the Ritz Carleton in NYC. He developed the original recipe for Vichyssoise. His recipe can be found in the Gourmet French Cookbook. He says that he adapted Vichyssoise from a common hot leek and potato soup made by his mother, (Could have been his grandmother, it has been a long time since I read his description). I have made it many times and it is great!

If you want a warm version, omit the puree and straining steps. It is also very good this way. A bit of bacon or smoked ham in the warm version is a mighty tasty addition.

Subject: REC: potato leek soup
From: idlewild (joshiro at midway.uchicago.edu)
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 04:57:32 GMT
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i made a soup which was... not bad, considering the circumstances. i thought i'd share it with you.

1 leek
1 T butter
2 potatoes
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
cream and 2% milk
salt and pepper

chop up one leek (white parts only). saute in butter for a few minutes. peel and thinly slice 2 potatoes. (today's potatoes were very green under the skin - had to keep peeling and peeling... i guess they were old/exposed to the sun... .frown.) add chicken broth to leeks (in a 3 qt saucepan), add potatoes on top of that. simmer for ~15 minutes, take off the heat when tender. a lot of recipes say to make it totally smooth, that it should be a thick soup, but i prefer mine a little chunky and a little runny. so i just hand mashed w/a potato masher until everything was homogeneously lumpy, if you catch my drift. then turn heat on very low. add cream and milk to taste - i did ~1/2 c cream (heavy cream, that is, b/c it was leftover from making ice cream), and i had some 2% milk left, so i dumped in the rest (~1 1/2 or 2 c). season to taste.

this was a quick, good tasting dinner/snack. (came home from the library ~midnight, and there was nothing to eat. 'course i hadn't eaten since 3 pm.) untraditional, maybe, but it suits my taste.

Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes,rec.food.cooking
Subject: Potato/Leek Soup
From: ron (r.f.) schmitt (rschmitt at nortel.ca)
Date: 30 May 1996 00:37:11 -0700
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Leek & Potato Soup

3 leeks
2 green onions or chives
8 "new" potatoes, aka "red" potatoes
Some butter (about 1 tablespoon)
1 pint heavy cream
2 cans chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you like) (by can, I mean a standard "can of soup" size)
White pepper
Nutmeg

Peel the potatoes and chop into about 1/2 inch size cubes. Cut off the hairs of the leeks and then cut off the green tops (you only want to use the white part and the light green part of the leeks). Cut the white portions of the green onions in a similar manner. You can throw out the green portion of the leeks, but save the green portion of the green onions; you'll need them later. Mince the white portion of the leeks and green onions and saute in some butter (1 tablespoon will probably do the job) at medium heat until they are tender.

Place the broth in a large pot. When the broth starts to simmer, toss in the sauteed leeks/onions and the cubed potatoes.

When the potatoes are cooked and tender, dump the whole mixture into a blender and blend into a puree. Dump it back into the pot and add the cream. Cook uncovered at a low-to-medium heat, stirring often until the soup is at the consistency that you like it. Add a dash of nutmeg and about 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper. You can use black pepper instead. I use the white pepper since it looks better in this creamy soup.

Dish out into bowls, and toss some of the finely chopped green portion of the green onions on each bowl.

Subject: Re: Leek and Potato Soup?
From: augusth at tezcat.com (Emperor of Ice-Cream)
Date: 25 Nov 1996 18:39:42 GMT
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Brian Bigler wrote:
: Does anyone have a recipe for Leek and Potato Soup? Besides leeks and
: potatoes, the one I had in Juneau was creamy with chopped green onions
: and bacon.

Hi,

Just happend to have this recipe sitting on my desk when I read your post. It's one of my favorite soups.

Leek & Potato soup

4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
6 leeks, thinkly sliced (or 3-4 big ones)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
4 c. water
3 chicken-flavored bouillon cubes
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tsp. dried whole basil
1 c. half-and-half or milk (or I use heave cream)

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes. Add leeks; saute 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add water; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add bouillon cubes, potatoes, and basil; cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and cook until thoroughly heated.

Hope you enjoy this soup a much as I do.

august

Subject: Re: Leek and Potato Soup?
From: ghasting at halcyon.com (Greg Hastings)
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 18:51:05 GMT
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Brian Bigler wrote:

> Does anyone have a recipe for Leek and Potato Soup? Besides leeks and
> potatoes, the one I had in Juneau was creamy with chopped green onions
> and bacon.

These will provide you with a starting point. Potato/Leek frequently forms the base for a wide range of possibilities. For openers just take one of the following and add bacon and chopped onions.

Leek and Potato Soup

Recipe By: Frugal Gourmet - Immigrant
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:30
Categories : Soups

1 pound potato -- peeled and diced
1 pound leeks -- sliced thinly
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream

Slice or dice the potatoes, slice the leeks, being careful to wash off any dirt or sand. Simmer the potatoes and leeks together with the Chicken Stock, salt and pepper for 40 to 50 minutes. Mash the vegetables or puree them in a food processor. Check the seasonings and reheat, adding the cream. Garnish with parsley. Serve warm or chilled.

Leek and Potato Soup II

Recipe By: James Barber's The Urban Peasant
Serving Size : 1
Categories : Soups

2 each potatoes -- unpeeled and diced
2 each leeks -- halfed lengthwise
and thinly sliced
1 medium onion -- finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
1/2 liter milk or coffee cream -- or 1/2 cup heavy
cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Heat the oil and stir in the onion for two minutes. Add the leeks and stir another 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, stir again. Add the pepper, salt, nutmeg and enough hot water to cover it all. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk or cream, stir well and serve immediately.

For elegance, put the soup through a blender or processor before adding the cream. If you want to be really fancy, process the finished soup very smooth, chill it and call it Vichyssoise.

NOTES: This recipe comes from James Barber's The Urban Peasant: More Than a Cookbook. He calls it comfort food, and I'd say that is damning it with faint praise, this is a really tasty recipe, expecially on cold and wet (or snowy) days. My sister is not a big onion fan, and was skeptical of the soup while it was cooking, as it produces a nice big leek aroma (similar to onion), but she thought it was great when it finally came time to eat it.

When I've made it, I've substitued frying a few slices of bacon (chopped up) in the pan first for the oil. I just leave the bacon in for the extra bit of flavour and protein. I also used chicken stock in place of half of the water (about three cups of stock) for added flavour.

Leek and Potato Soup III

Recipe By: 365 Great Soups and Stews
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :1:00
Categories : Soups

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes -- peeled, and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds leeks (white part only) -- well rinsed and chopped
1 large celery rib -- sliced
7 cups chicken stock -or reduced sodium canned broth
1 cup sour cream, nonfat plain yogurt, or milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes, leek, celery, and chicken stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 30 minutes.

In a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to pan and stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.

To serve hot, warm over medium-low heat, stirring, but do not let boil or sour cream may curdle. To serve cold, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Note the third version is really quite flexible. You can substitute milk/water/broth/cream for the liquid and even try combinations of them.

Also, waxy potatoes such as reds or the yellows (Finnish, Yukon etc) are preferred if you are not going to puree the soup.