Lesley's Potato & Leek Soup
My friend Lesley brought this soup in to work one day and was gracious enough to share it with me! I liked it so much that I asked her to come over and whip up a batch of this simple, yet hearty soup for the website so I could share it with the world and beyond! She should really be doing this write up but since I'm a spotlight hog, and it's 6am and she's likely home in bed, I will reiterate the play by play from yesterday!
Four simple ingredients are needed for this soup...Russet potatoes, leeks, bouillon cubes and cumin seeds (oh, wait...and a bit of butter to saute the leeks...okay, that makes 5)
Peel and chop 4 large russet potatoes and thinly slice 4 medium or 2 large leeks (just the white and pale green parts of the leek, discarding the dark green ends).
Next, in a large stock pot, set over medium/low heat on the stove, melt 1/4 cup of butter...
...add the sliced leeks and saute until tender (about 10 minutes).
Next, toss in the cubed potatoes, stirring to combine with the butter and leeks.
In a large heat proof measuring cup, add 4 cups of boiling water and 2 vegetable bouillon cubes...
...whisk until bouillon cubes have melted into the boiling water creating a nice vegetable broth.
Pour broth into your stock pot and stir.
Add 3 additional cups of boiling water to the vegetable/broth mixture...
...and simmer until potatoes are quite tender and soup begins to thicken.
At this point, using an immersion blender, puree the the potatoes and leeks...if you don't own an immersion blender like me (Lesley had to bring hers to my Amish home), you can also use a potato masher.
Next, add in a heaping tsp. of cumin seeds, stir and let simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes or until the flavour of the seeds have been incorporated into the soup...the soup will be thick at this point so make sure you stir often to avoid scorching. Additional broth may be added to your taste if you prefer a thinner soup.
This soup is thick, flavourful and a meal made perfect with a wedge of smoked cheese and crusty bread...excellent on a cold day to warm you from the tip of your nose to the end of your toes, sticking to your ribs on the way down!
Lesley's Potato & Leek Soup
4 large russet potatoes
4 medium or 2 large leeks
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
4 cups boiling water, plus 3 additional cups
1/4 cup butter
1 heaping tsp. cumin seeds
...Peel and cube potatoes then thinly slice leeks (use only the white to pale green parts, discarding the dark green leaves)...In a large stock pot, over medium/low heat, saute leeks in butter until tender (about 10 minutes)...add potatoes and stir. In a large, heat proof measuring cup, pour in 4 cups of boiling water and add 2 vegetable bouillon cubes; whisk until cubes melt into the water. Pour broth over potato/leek mixture and add in the additional 3 cups of boiling water. Simmer until potatoes are quite tender and soup begins to thicken...using an immersion blender, puree potatoes and leeks...stir in 1 heaping tsp. of cumin seeds and simmer on low for about 10 more minutes...serve with wedges of cheese and crusty bread...Enjoy!