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Leek soup
Late for St. David's day, but partly in honour of having been to see a rather good production of "Under Milkwood" last night, and partly because it's a miserable cold wet day and it's good comfort food, I made a great big pot of leek and potato soup for supper tonight. If it was served cold, it would be vichissoise, but I'm having it hot, with good bread and some dill havarti and maybe some leafy green salad.
Take two big fat leeks, wash them, chop them up (green tops and all) and soften them in a tablespoon each of hot butter and olive oil. Add a chopped onion and three whole garlic cloves. Let them saute for a while in the oils, then add two large chopped potatoes, stir them around until they start to get a bit soft, then add 4 cups or so of chicken or vegetable stock, and 1 cup of good white wine. Simmer the whole thing for half an hour to 40 minutes, until everything is nice and soft and blendable, then puree it - I use my handy dandy hand blender. Add your choice of cream (if you're not counting calories, it's the best, but rich), or milk, or I like evaporated skim milk with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream when serving. After adding about a cup of the dairy product, whatever you choose - heat again but don't boil, and serve. Yum yum.
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lilyfriend: if you're reading this, without the cream, it would be good for what ails you. Better than chicken soup :) And keeps vampires away, too (if all you Buffy fans want to do that, that is...)
Take two big fat leeks, wash them, chop them up (green tops and all) and soften them in a tablespoon each of hot butter and olive oil. Add a chopped onion and three whole garlic cloves. Let them saute for a while in the oils, then add two large chopped potatoes, stir them around until they start to get a bit soft, then add 4 cups or so of chicken or vegetable stock, and 1 cup of good white wine. Simmer the whole thing for half an hour to 40 minutes, until everything is nice and soft and blendable, then puree it - I use my handy dandy hand blender. Add your choice of cream (if you're not counting calories, it's the best, but rich), or milk, or I like evaporated skim milk with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream when serving. After adding about a cup of the dairy product, whatever you choose - heat again but don't boil, and serve. Yum yum.
lilyfriend: if you're reading this, without the cream, it would be good for what ails you. Better than chicken soup :) And keeps vampires away, too (if all you Buffy fans want to do that, that is...)
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It's nice to be able to wear clothing that doesn't cost a million dollars and be fashionable, too.
And yes, there are treats. But the trick is not to get too many that go in the tummy.
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It's not nearly so elegant, but the basic idea could be used to produce a fat-free version of
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I'm very fond of Under Milk Wood - it reminds me of some of my South Welsh relatives of my grandparents' generation. We visited Laugharne about eighteen months ago and saw the shed in which Dylan worked. A really beautiful setting.
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I usually do a more-rustic version:
cook lots of small potatoes in barely enough water, until soft;
take them out to cool, and let the starchy water continue to reduce;
add leeks (tops and all) cleaned and sliced into rings; meanwhile, slice the potatoes into disks about twice as thick as a quarter;
when the leeks are done, remove them and set aside to cool, too;
if the starchy, leeky water is gritty, strain it through a coffee filter, returning it to the pot; otherwise, just keep going;
add to the water a dab of butter, a bit of salt and pepper and a wee dash of powdered ginger or nutmeg, and stir until butter is melted;
return the sliced leeks and potatoes to the pot; the liquid should now be insufficient to cover;
top off with milk, and simmer for a few minutes, or until you can't stand it anymore.
*g*
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