First Soup of the Season: Potato, Leeks and Carrots
carrie
Potato, Leeks and Carrot Soup
A quick dinner photo posted to Instagram resulted in a recipe request, so I apologize for the utilitarian nature of the image here. I am at a place with soup where I don't typically work from recipe, so this is a bit of reverse engineering. Soup is a great confidence builder when it comes to experimenting with cooking. It's also a perennial fridge-cleaning out meal, which I also dig. However, I know the quantities I used because I chopped all the ingredients at lunch time and stored them in containers whose sizes I know by heart, so bingo, a recipe was born. I used organic ingredients from the farmers' markets and quality is super important when you have a soup with so few ingredients. They all have to sing their song, ya know?
Herewith, the first soup of the season.
Ingredients
- 1-2 T. unsalted butter or grapeseed oil
- 2 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 2 cups sliced carrots (I used orange and white ones because that's what I had)
- 4 cups sliced potatoes (I used fingerlings, but Yukon golds are my potato of choice for soup)
- 4 cups water (or stock; I haven't made stock yet this season so I used water)
- 3-4 chives, snipped small but somewhat irregularly, right into the pot
Directions
1. Melt your fat of choice over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the leeks, stirring occasionally and cook 3-4 minutes until they soften. Add the carrots, and let them cook for another 2. Add the potatoes and the water. Bring the whole thing to a boil, and then simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
2. You can serve this as is, but I love a good pureed soup. Transfer 3/4 of the soup to a blender (I used my Vitamix which makes things creamier without adding dairy), making sure there's enough water in there to puree, and then puree it. Transfer it back to the saucepan. I do this because I like a little bit of texture here and there with pureed soups. Snip the chives over the pot, give it another couple of pinches of freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt, and you're good to go.
Serves: 4 moderately hungry people, including 2 almost 6-year-old boys