#leeks# Archives - 3jamigos

Hmm Hmm Good..Potato Leek and Kohlrabi Soup

By threejamigos | February 19, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

While making a pot of my favorite Potato Leek and Kohlrabi Soup, I realized I had added the recipe for it to a post on Parmesan Shortbread. The soup is so delicious it deserves its own post. This soup can be made year round and served hot, warm or room temperature depending on the season. A classic potato leek soup with a twist, kohlrabi. Not familiar with kohlrabi? It’s in the cabbage family and tastes a whole lot of broccoli. In fact, you could use broccoli stems in place of the kohlrabi in this recipe. It has a bulb and leafy top and comes in really cool colors, like purple and green.. Use it raw, thinly sliced and throw it in salads. It adds a crunch and sweetness to your greens. Saute the greens in a bit of olive oil and garlic, delicious.

Back to the potato, leek and kohlrabi soup. Summertime? Puree the soup until it is silky smooth and serve at room temperature, accompanied by a light salad or sandwich.

In the winter serve it piping hot in mugs with a sprinkle of pancetta or crisp bacon bits and slices of hearty bread.

This soup lends itself well to changes. I have used different stocks, vegetable, seafood, or chicken. I have replaced the kohlrabi with broccoli stems or cauliflower or omitted it altogether for a true potato leek soup. You can also use different potatoes to change the texture of the soup, from starchy russets to waxy Yukon Golds for a lighter, velvet-like consistency. I’ve topped it with cheesy croutons, chives, pancetta, or morsels of freshly picked crab. A gazillion variations, probably some I haven’t even thought of yet.

This is my go-to soup, period. Maybe it will become yours.

Hmm Hmm Good..Potato Leek and Kohlrabi Soup

A riff on classic potato leek soup. The addition of Kohlrabi gives an earthy sweetness that's delicious.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 50

Ingredients

Potato Leek soup

3 leeks rinsed, white part only, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3-4 potatoes diced (russets or Yukon Gold for a smoother soup)
6-8 cups of stock chicken, seafood, or water
1/3 - 1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream
S&P to taste

Optional:

2-3 kohlrabi peeled and diced or broccoli stems from 1 bunch peeled and diced
chives
lump crab meat or sautéed wild mushrooms for garnish
pancetta or bacon salute until crisp and reserved for garnish

Instructions

Over medium heat, add 1 T oil + 1 T butter to 8 quart pot. Saute' onions until soft and transparent add garlic and saute' for additional minute. Add leeks, potatoes, kohlrabi if using, and 6-7 cups of stock. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Partially cover pot and simmer until vegetables are completely soft, about 45 minutes.
Using a hand blender or blender, puree soup until desired consistency. Completely smooth for a classic version or leave it a little chunky for a more rustic soup.
Add cream heat to warm through (for a lighter version omit cream.)
If soup is too thick, add broth to desired consistency with reserved 1 cup of stock
Salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with bacon, pancetta or chives and a dollop of creme fraiche' or crab meat if a seafood stock is used.

Review: Martha Stewart’s Vegetables

By threejamigos | November 6, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment

Early adopter. That’s how I would describe myself when it comes to Martha Stewart. Years ago I invested in a copy of Entertaining the book that put her on the map. In a tiny apartment, on a student’s budget, I dreamed of hosting a Hawaiian luau or an elegant holiday soiree’. Ok, never did the luau or soiree’ but I have used many of her recipes and tweaked her entertaining ideas.

But it has been quite awhile since I have picked up one of her books. But Vegetables caught my eye. We have made a concerted effort to eat more vegetables and less meat, this book was right up our alley. First, this is not a vegetarian cookbook. Though vegetables are definitely the star of this book there are quite a few recipes that contain meat or seafood. Each and every recipe has a beautiful photo of the finish dish. How cool is that? The photos are up close, clean with simple backgrounds so focus stays on the food. The book is divided by type of vegetable such as bulbs, roots, tubers, greens and stems. Each chapter starts with an introduction covering seasonality, buying, storing, prepping, flavor pairings and cooking. Recipes are straight forward and uncomplicated. Helpful hints are offered in sidebars. As I flipped through the pages I bookmarked quite a few recipes to try.

Always looking for new ways to serve carrots I tried rainbow carrots and chard. The vegetables are steamed and drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette. Colorful and appetizing perfect for a summer or fall meal. Quick and easy. I tackled the recipe for leek and parsnip soup next. Parsnips, I have to admit, is not a vegetable I cook very often, actually ever. Loved it. The parsnips give the soup a sweet earthy flavor, a nice twist to the classic potato leek soup. I also managed to make the lone dessert recipe in the book. Cornmeal shortcakes with corn ice cream and blueberry compote. I substituted vanilla ice cream for the corn ice cream but if Santa brings me an ice cream maker with its own compressor (hint hint) I’ll definitely try the corn ice cream. The shortcakes were buttery with a slight crunch from the cornmeal and the lemony blueberry compote a lovely accompaniment.

I received this book from Blogging for Books and I recommend it to anyone wanting to expand their “veggieverse”. It’s filled with simple, delicious recipes with gorgeous photos and plenty of valuable information. It’s a good thing.

Here is a link to Cornmeal Shortcakes from Martha Stewart’s Living. It is not exactly the same as the one in the cookbook. The difference being instead of 3 cups of all purpose flour the book’s recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups AP flour and 3/4 cup fine cornmeal.