Potato Leek Soup



There is taste, and then there is texture.  When you find both in cooking then everything turned out alright.  By the time I ladled this soup into the bowl, I knew I had the texture – a soft puree that I had purposefully left chunky – but on tasting, it was exciting to realize that the taste was excellent too.

Comfort food doesn't really get better than this!  The recipe starts with a bunch of leeks, six cups, sliced

 up the stem to where the white begins to turn dark green.  Add the leeks and sliced onion into a stock pot to sautee for fifteen minutes and soften. I added a pinch of salt because I knew that the broth and potatoes that were coming is definitely a liquid and veggie combination that can take some seasoning.  From here simmer the leeks, onions, potatoes, broth and salt for another fifteen, then, once cooked, take over to the blender to puree. This is the point where you can decide as a cook whether to liquify or hold as chunky.  I love the texture of cooked potatoes, so a 2-3 second pulse works very well.  Take the pureed soup back over to the pot and add a shredded cheese you like; the recipe called for blue cheese, but that is a drastic flavor, so I chose what is called a cru cheese, or what I suspect is not much more than a farm cheese, fairly mild, but great texture.  A touch of dried mustard into the pot, a dash of paprika onto the finished bowl, come up with your own version of bread,

and this is a flavorful, beautifully textured soup, unlike anything I have tried before.  Potato soup without a 'zing' factor, can be bland; some add bacon or lots of butter; leeks and onion in this batch add a variety and depth that is warming and tasty.