When I think GREEN, I think of Irish men and money, oH yEAH!!! No, not really...hehehe. However, when it comes to cooking I think of HERBS!!! And this soup screams just that!
Leek is a vegetable from the onion and garlic family. Its light and soothing essence melded in with a variety of fresh or dried herbs brings out a wonderful flavor. This soup is definitely a hearty dish. The original recipe did not call for carrots, but I added it in to give it a splash of color...plus, I wanted to honor the Irish Protestants, too!!! Hehehe
Anyway, when I think of leeks it reminds me of Thanksgiving dinners at my Uncle Manny and Aunt Sue's house. I've always love my Aunt Sue's leek soup and it's one of my favorites. Actually, there's an Irish Restaurant in the area called "Kildare's" and every time I'm there, I always get their Colcannon Soup (Leeks and Potato with a twist of Cabbage Soup). Yum!
As you may not know, my Aunt Sue is Welch and the leek is the national symbol of Wales. I know Welch and Irish is totally different from each other. There's definitely a big distinction between them, but I'm sure leek is a widely used vegetable in the British Isles, so it's okay to have this on a day like St. Patrick's Day...or is it St. David's Day for the Welch? Okay, okay that's another holiday...so for now, let's just enjoy a leek soup for this glorious day ;-)
P.S. On ocassions like this, my maiden name is actually "McFloro"...LOL Those who don't know me, I don't like being hot and I tend to survive well in the winter months...hehehe Yeah, go figure that one out! My husband used to laugh at me when were first dating (and still do) because I don't like the heat that much and coming from the tropical islands of the Philippines you think I would enjoy being hot? handle humidity well? Ah-Ah, I'd rather spend my summers in the North Pole or Antartica, okay maybe as far as Alaska (that's prettier)! LOL So to justify that idea, I used to tell Barry that God must've placed me in the wrong place...I was supposed to be in the British Isles, but God must have been tired when I was born and I was mistakenly placed in the Philippines instead since the British Isles sort of look like the Philippines in the map...hence, my last name as McFloro...hehehe! Joke Only :-)
Ingredients:
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 cups water
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup minced fresh chives or green onion tops
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dillweed
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
1 tablespoon dried fennel
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Chopped fresh chives or green onion tops
Directions:
Bring first 11 ingredients to boil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are very tender and soup thickens slightly, about 1 hour. Transfer the greens and boiled carrots (except potatoes) to blender and puree. Return puree to pot. Season with salt, pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
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