St Paddys Day Potato Leek Soup Recipes

CLASSIC POTATO LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large wide pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, leeks and onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and not browned, about 12 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and continue to cook, uncovered, until almost dry, about 4 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, 7 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
• Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and carefully puree until smooth, taking care not to fill the carafe more than half full per batch, or puree with an immersion blender in the pot. Reheat the soup over medium heat until steaming.
• Whisk in the cream and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves, a drizzle of oil and a frizzled leeks or shallot if using.

CHUNKY POTATO LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• In a lightly greased nonstick skillet, cook leeks and onion for 5 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown; set aside., In a large saucepan, cook flour and garlic powder in oil for about 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in broth. Stir in the bay leaves, salt, pepper, pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. , Stir in potatoes and leek mixture; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk and evaporated milk; heat through. Discard bay leaves.

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add leeks and cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in celery and cook for 5 minutes more. Add garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and vegetable broth; reduce heat and let simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
• Blend using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in batches. Stir in heavy cream and salt.

ST. PADDY'S DAY POTATO & LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Use only the white part of the leeks.
• Saute the chopped leeks,chopped onions, and 1 clove of minced garlic in margarine until translucent. Add the chicken broth and the peeled and diced potatoes to the mixture, and cook until potatoes are tender.
• Puree mixture in blender half at a time. Place in large soup pot and add cream,salt and pepper.Cook stirring occasionally until hot. Garnish as desired and serve.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY POTATO SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE CRÈME FRAICHE: gently warm the heavy cream. Remove it from the heat and combine it with the buttermilk or sour cream in a glass bowl. Mix well, cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Give the mixture a good stir once it has thickened, then cover and refrigerate. It will thicken even more once chilled.
• TO MAKE THE PESTO: crush the garlic with the salt and place the mixture in a blender or food processor along with the basil, olive oil and nuts. Blend until the ingredients are finely pureed. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the basil mixture into a small mixing bowl. Fold in the grated cheese and blend well. Carefully stir in the crème fraiche. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• FOR THE SOUP: melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, leek, onion and celery and cook gently, reducing the heat after a minute or two, until the vegetables are quite tender, about 5 minutes. Do not allow them to brown at all. Add the potatoes, chicken broth and cream. If the potatoes aren't totally submerged in the liquid, add a little water. Simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and tender. Puree the potato mixture using a hand held blender or a blender or food processor. Stir in the buttermilk. Wipe the saucepan clean and pour the pureed soup through a fine sieve back into the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup while it is still very hot into soup bowls and place a good dollop of pest in the centre of each serving. Run a toothpick through the pest to drag it out decoratively over the surface of the soup.
• Great Potatoes.Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh.