Potato And Leek Purée Food

POTATO LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Slice the roots off of the leaks then chop off the top dark green stalks; discard. Slice the remaining white/light green stalks in half lengthwise, then in half again (see photos in post). Add sliced leeks to a bowl of cold water and stir them around to separate them from each other and to dislodge any dirt. Scoop them out with a fine mesh sieve, dry, thinly slice and set aside.
• Melt the butter in the olive oil over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Add the leeks, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes (we are sweating the vegetables, the leeks should not brown). Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds.
• Add the potatoes, broth, chicken bouillon and all remaining seasonings. Cover pot, leaving just a crack open, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Discard bay leaves.
• Working in batches, remove desired amount of soup to a high-powered blender, don't fill blender more than 1/3 way full or it can overflow and explode. For a smooth soup, puree all of the soup; for a chunkier soup, don't puree all of the soup. Blend until very smooth, being careful to let smoke escape the blender or it will explode. You can do this by leaving the blender cap open and covering with a paper towel or loose dishtowel. You may also use an immersion blender but I don't find the soup gets as smooth.
• Pour pureed soup back into pot and stir in lemon juice. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

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.

POTATOES AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Peel and halve the potatoes. Place them in a baking dish. Scatter over the celery, leeks and a liberal sprinkling of black pepper. Cover with chicken stock, adding additional stock or water if necessary.
• Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through., basting occasionally and ading water if needed. Remove the pan from the oven and taste the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is watery, pour it into a suacepan and rapidly boil it down until it has the intensity of flavor you prefer.
• Serve with pork cutlet. Nape sauce over pork and vegetables
• ;
• Puree every 1 1/4 cups of leftover vegetable and stock mixture with 1/4 cup low fat yogurt. If you have less vegetables and stock, adjust the amount of yogurt acordingly. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and salt to taste. chill before serving with a garnish of chopped chives for scallion greens.

LEEK AND POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an oval baking dish. Drain the leeks and rinse.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the leeks are softened and golden, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Peel and slice the potatoes into very thin rounds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer half of the potatoes in the buttered dish, then layer half of the cooked leeks over the potatoes. Repeat the layers.
• Return the skillet to medium heat and add the cream cheese, cream, chicken stock and garlic. Stir together, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle with the paprika and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes so the cheese melts. Pour the cream mixture over the leeks and potatoes and top with the grated cheese.
• Cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is bubbly and golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

POTATO LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Season the soup: Add the parsley, and cook a few minutes more. Add a few dashes of Tabasco to taste. Add freshly ground pepper and more salt to taste. (Potatoes soak up salt, so you may need to add more salt than you expect.)

POTAGE PARMENTIER (POTATO & LEEK SOUP) - JULIA CHILD

Steps:

• Simmer vegetables, water and salt together, partially covered, 40-50 minutes until vegetables are tender.
• Mash the vegetables in the soup with a fork, or puree in blender. Correct seasoning.
• Off heat and just before serving, stir in cream or butter by spoonfuls. Pour into a tureen or soup cups and decorate with the herbs.
• Good hot, cold or room temperature.
• Variations:.
• The following may be simmered with the potatoes and leeks at the start:.
• Sliced or diced carrots or turnips.
• Peeled, seeded or chopped tomatoes or strained, canned tomatoes.
• Half-cooked dried beans, peas, or lentils, including their cooking liquid.
• The following may be simmered for 10-15 minutes with the soup after it has been pureed:.
• Fresh or frozen diced cauliflower, cucumbers, broccoli, Lima beans, peas, string beans, okra or zucchini.
• Shredded lettuce, spinach, sorrel, or cabbage.
• Diced, cooked leftovers of any of the preceding vegetables.
• Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced and diced.

POTATO AND LEEK PURéE

Steps:

• 1. In a large pot with water just to cover, boil the potatoes and leeks forabout 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain, reserving the water, and remove the potatoes. Pass them through a ricer. Set aside.
• 2. Transfer the leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and purée.
• 3. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the riced potatoes. Gradually stir in the milk, beating with a wooden spoon until creamy. Stir in the puréed leeks. Stir in some of the reserved potato water for a more liquid consistency.
• 4. Serve immediately. Freeze leftover purée that won't be eaten the next day.