This recipe is in homage to one of the loftier food blogs in cyberspace and Julia Child, whom that blog was honoring (read Julie and Julia if you get the chance. Great fun for foodies. Also, if you want further history, read Child's: My Year in France, in which she details how she went from a lonely State Department wife--familiar anyone?--to a master chef who changed the face of American /French cuisine almost by accident as she tried to discover her life's passion.)
What you'll need:
2 tblsp. butter
8-10 leeks
4 large russet potatoes
salt & pepper
can of chicken broth/chicken boullion
cream or milk
In a dutch oven or thick cast iron soup pot, melt the butter and saute the leeks until they are translucent. For those of you unused to working with leeks, cut away the green stalk and focus on the white bulb. The leeks should be rather thinly sliced and will quickly saute. Peel and dice the potatoes into small pieces and add them to the pot with the leeks. Add a can of chicken broth and bring to a boil. After broth boils, turn down to a simmer, and let the potatoes cook until tender.
Once the potatoes are cooked, mash down them down until they're smooth. I use a hand food processor. You could probably use a blender, also. Once the potatoes are smooth, taste and then season with salt and pepper. At this point, let the pot sit out for a while until it starts to cool. When no longer scorching hot, put the pot into the refrigerator and let cool. After an hour or two, take out the soup and incorporate enough milk to thin the broth. I use either a cup or two, depending on my liking. If you want to get really fancy, dice up a few chives and sprinkle on the top when serving.
Now, the concept of cold soup might not appeal to you. The great thing is that this soup tastes pretty good warm, too. With some crusty bread, perhaps, and an accompanying plate of cheeses and grapes, you have quite a lovely high-fallutin' French meal. Julia would be proud.
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