In the Victorian Christmas carol “In the Bleak Midwinter,” which was based on a poem by Christina Rossetti, there is a line: “Snow had fallen, snow on snow/Snow on snow[.]” That line seems particularly apt right now as Chicago braces itself for not one but two possible winter storms over the next 48 hours.
What to eat when you are facing the possible of being housebound while a winter storm rages outside? Well, soup obviously. I’m thinking specifically of a French classic, potato leek soup, or, as the French say: potage parmentier.
Potato leek soup is delicious, filling and just plain comforting in the way that only a bowl of soup can be. Add a slice or two of crusty bread and a crisp green salad and you have a satisfying vegetarian meal. Served in smaller quantities, however, potage parmentier is an elegant first course worthy of your best company. This is definitely a recipe to keep in mind as the holiday entertaining season approaches.
But on a more prosaic level, potato leek soup is a weeknight workhorse. You can have it on the table in under an hour, and if your family members will be coming home at different times due to practices, sports or work obligations, it’s easy to keep the soup warm on a back burner and produce a steaming bowl as people stumble in from the cold.
You have several options for pureeing the soup. If you have an immersion blender, you can use that right in the stockpot and save yourself from dirtying extra dishes. However, if you own a high speed blender, I recommend using that instead. A high-speed blender purees the fibrous leeks so well that the final result is rich and creamy without adding a lot of cream. (Of course, you can always use your food processor as well although you may have to work in batches.)
In fact, this recipe, which contains at least six servings only has 1/2 cup of cream, but you would never know it from the taste. So go ahead and hunker down against the storm with a good book, a steaming bowl of potato leek soup and a nice glass of wine. It’s the only way to survive a Chicago winter.
Ingredients
- 3 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 3 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
- 4 boiling potatoes, such as Red Bliss or Yukon Gold, weighing around 1¼ pounds
- 1½ quarts chicken broth, preferably homemade
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in an large stockpot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until softened, about ten minutes, stirring frequently. Do not allow leeks to brown. Lower the heat if necessary. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Peel the potatoes and quarter them. Add the potatoes to the stockpot and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken broth to the vegetables in the stockpot and bring the soup to a boil.
- Lower heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about fifteen minutes.
- Puree the soup in a high-speed blender, a food processor -- working in batches if necessary - or using an immersion blender until smooth.
- If using a blender or food processor, return the soup to the stockpot. Add the cream and stir to combine.
- Simmer until heated through. Adjust seasonings and serve hot.
- Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or chopped herbs if desired.
