Potato Leek Soup

Last week, I spent about $120 on food at Stop and Shop.  It sounds like a massive shopping, but I really didn't buy a lot of things.  Most of the money was spent on produce and meats.  I have some great ideas for dinner this week, and while I was walking through the produce section, I found some gorgeous looking leeks, in bunches of three.  I had been given a recipe for potato leek soup by my neighbor, and decided right there in the market that we would have soup this week.

I spent the day with two great friends making "Trial run" cookies for a baby shower.  It's a terribly un-seasonably cold day, and just on waking up this morning, I knew it was a potato-leek soup kind of a day.

The recipe:

• 3 large leeks, (whites and pale green only) cut lengthwise, cleaned and chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• Marjoram - dash
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce (optional)
• Salt & Pepper

The Method:

• Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, checking often. Do not brown leeks - this will result in a burnt taste. 
• Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan (I used an immersion blender, and just blended half of the soup in the pot). Add marjoram, parsley, and thyme. Add a few dashes of chili sauce to taste, if desired. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt or more to taste.

The results:  4-6 servings of pure deliciousness.

 

The entire pot of soup is 30 points plus....

@ 6 servings:  5 points plus

@ 4 servings:  7 points plus

Enjoy!