California Pizza Kitchen Potato Leek Soup Food

LIGHTER POTATO AND LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Combine leeks and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Saute until soft, about 15 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Sprinkle flour over leeks and mash in with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes.
• Slowly add 2 cups water, stirring constantly to create a roux. Slowly add 2 more cups water, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining 2 cups water. Add bouillon cubes, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, and pepper. Increase heat to medium and stir occasionally until boiling.
• Add potatoes and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook until potatoes are soft, 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so and scraping the bottom of the pot as needed. Puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth with some chunks remaining. Stir in milk to thin and heat until warmed through.

POTATO LEEK SOUP (VICHYSSOISE)

Steps:

• In large pot melt butter. Add leeks and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender. Place 3/4 of soup into a blender and puree, return to pot and stir in cream. Serve hot or cold.

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN POTATO LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Cut off roots and trim dark green tops from leeks. Discard any tough outer leaves. Cut each leek lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Rinse leeks thoroughly in large bowl of cold water, swishing to remove sand. Transfer leeks to colander to drain, leaving sand in bottom of bowl. Repeat process, changing water several times, until all sand is removed.
• In 4-quart saucepan, combine potatoes, salt, oregano, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, half of leeks, and 3 cups water; cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cook 5 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Discard bay leaf.
• Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add remaining leeks and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until leeks are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in soy sauce and cook 1 to 2 minutes or just until leeks are evenly browned, stirring constantly. Transfer leek mixture to saucepan with potato mixture; stir in broth.
• In batches, ladle potato mixture into blender; cover, with center part of cover removed to allow steam to escape, and blend until pureed. Pour puree into large bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture. (OK, I skip this step and just put my stick blender into the soup pot and puree the whole thing.).
• Return puree to same saucepan; stir in half-and-half and heavy cream. Heat soup over low heat just until heated through, stirring occasionally (do not boil). Serve soup hot, or cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours to serve chilled later. Sprinkle soup with sliced green onion to serve.

POTATO-LEEK PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil.
• In a skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp; remove and set aside. Pour off most of the grease but do not clean the skillet. Return the skillet to the stove and turn the heat to medium low. Add the leeks and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.
• Pull or roll the bread dough into a rectangle and place on the oiled baking sheet. Drizzle the dough with olive oil. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer all over the crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt, then lay the mozzarella slices in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Arrange the leeks on top of the cheese. Sprinkle the fried bacon pieces over the top, followed by a generous addition of crumbled goat cheese, grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly, 11 to 13 minutes. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

CREAMY POTATO, CARROT, AND LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir leeks and celery in butter until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour chicken broth and vegetable broth into the pot; add potatoes, carrots, salt, and bay leaf.
• Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir cream into the soup, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer soup until thickened, about 20 minutes.