Reinbeau
Deeply Rooted
It's been so warm here, well into the 60's, the ground in the garden has thawed, so I went out and pulled some leeks. They've held up well against the frigid weather we've had. I am leaving what's left out there to see if they make it fully through the winter, if they do then they should flower, and the bees will have a nice treat, from what I hear.
Anyways, I made a nice Leek and Potato soup last night for supper. Yummy! It's from Cooking Light, and I also made the Cheddar Toasts that went with it. Here's the recipe, if you're interested (oh yea, and I have plenty of fresh thyme sprigs, too! Too bad I didn't have any Yukon Golds left to use my own potatoes, too):
Golden Potato-Leek Soup with Cheddar Toasts
Yukon gold potatoes are the key ingredient to give the soup rich, buttery flavor.
Soup:
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 3 medium)
6 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (14-ounce) cans organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
2 thyme sprigs
Cheddar Toasts:
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut sourdough French bread baguette
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Remaining Ingredients:
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Thyme sprigs (optional)
Preheat oven to 375.
To prepare soup, melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally (do not brown).
Add potatoes, water, salt, broth, and 2 thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
To prepare cheddar toasts, place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 7 minutes or until toasted. Turn slices over; coat with cooking spray, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese over each slice. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle evenly with red pepper.
Remove pan from heat; discard thyme sprigs. Partially mash potatoes with a potato masher; stir in cream. Sprinkle with black pepper. Serve with cheddar toasts. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup soup and 1 toast)
CALORIES 299 (25% from fat); FAT 8.6g (sat 4.7g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 7.5g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 113mg; SODIUM 660mg; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.4g
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005
Anyways, I made a nice Leek and Potato soup last night for supper. Yummy! It's from Cooking Light, and I also made the Cheddar Toasts that went with it. Here's the recipe, if you're interested (oh yea, and I have plenty of fresh thyme sprigs, too! Too bad I didn't have any Yukon Golds left to use my own potatoes, too):
Golden Potato-Leek Soup with Cheddar Toasts
Yukon gold potatoes are the key ingredient to give the soup rich, buttery flavor.
Soup:
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 3 medium)
6 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (14-ounce) cans organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
2 thyme sprigs
Cheddar Toasts:
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut sourdough French bread baguette
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Remaining Ingredients:
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Thyme sprigs (optional)
Preheat oven to 375.
To prepare soup, melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally (do not brown).
Add potatoes, water, salt, broth, and 2 thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
To prepare cheddar toasts, place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 7 minutes or until toasted. Turn slices over; coat with cooking spray, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese over each slice. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle evenly with red pepper.
Remove pan from heat; discard thyme sprigs. Partially mash potatoes with a potato masher; stir in cream. Sprinkle with black pepper. Serve with cheddar toasts. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup soup and 1 toast)
CALORIES 299 (25% from fat); FAT 8.6g (sat 4.7g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 7.5g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 113mg; SODIUM 660mg; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.4g
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005