Potato Leek Soup

Since I moved to Turkey, I find myself making soup much more often. This is because in Turkey food is taken more seriously. One reason for this is that there is very little prepared food here. Everything is made from scratch, it is much healthier, much less processed and much more time consuming. A typical dinner includes a soup course, as well as the entree , starch, vegetable and various sides. Dessert is always served, even if it is just a piece of fruit. So--my more casual American meals--entree plus veggie are not really considered "complete." I have had add more soups to my cooking repertoire.

I really like this soup, it is from Robert Irvine (Food Network). It is an amazing soup in its original form (using butter) but I use olive oil instead. When I make it with butter my taste buds are delighted, but I can feel my behind expanding. However, it tastes great, even without the butter. One thing I want to stress---USE FRESH THYME--it is SO worth it. Also if you make soups or sauces often--get an immersion blender. I LOVE mine. It has made soups incredibly easy to make, which means I do it more often and I burn myself less (the process of transferring hot liquids into a food processor can be tricky.)

Potato Leek Soup

6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

8 leeks, wash well

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped roughly

1 bay leaf

2 quarts chicken broth (or bouillon)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

In a soup pot, put the potatoes and four of the leeks, onion, bay leaf and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are soft. Chop up the remaining four leeks. Mix flour and olive oil and milk in a bowl bowl to make a roux to thicken the soup. Add the leeks, olive oil mixture, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf. Blend the soup using an immersion blender or in batches in the food processor. Once it is smooth pour back into the pot and simmer for 20 more minutes until soup has thickened. Serve with a little thyme on top as a garnish.

Go with your feelings...

If you are feeling lazy and just want to scrub the potatoes well instead of peeling them--no one will notice after you blend it.

If you are feeling naughty use 1 stick of butter instead of olive oil and cream instead of milk.

*Warning: You many not be able to stop eating this soup. You also may need new pants in a bigger size.

-Jules