Thursday, November 4, 2010

Potato Leek Soup

I love a nice thick soup once the weather turns cold. This is one of the dishes we serve when we go and get our Christmas tree which is just around the corner now. The flower market where I work just got their Christmas Greens in so the whole place smells of cedar, pine and eucalyptus. I make a huge batch because everyone loves it and I divide it up so you can half it for a smaller batch.

6 leeks
4 lg onions
4 lg garlic cloves
oil for sauteing about two tbsp of olive oil
4 lg potatoes
2 cartons of vegetable stock
2 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp sesame oil
250 mls cream (optional, leave it out if you want this to be vegan)
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
1/2 tsp of chipotle powder

chop leeks (I dont use the really green tops of the leeks, they are a bit stringy and I save them to make my own veg stock) and rinse them in a bowl of cool water, strain the leeks and let dry. chop onions and garlic. saute onions, garlic and leeks in your soup pot with the oil until soft. chop potatoes into bite sized chunks, add to pot. add stock and rosemary to pot, make sure the stock covers the potatoes and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 20-25 min or until potatoes are soft. remove from heat and set aside. cook the rice (following the directions on the bag). add the sesame oil to the soup pot and puree. add the cooked rice and puree. let sit and cool then put in fridge for 12-24 hours. reheat on stove adding the cream (if you are going for non-vegan) and the chipotle and puree.

Perfect! Enjoy!!