Green Garlic Potato And Leek Soup Recipes

POTATO, GARLIC, & LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Trim about 1/2-inch off top of head of garlic, exposing all the cloves inside. Save any tips of cloves that are sliced off for pancetta breadcrumbs. Rub exposed cloves with about 1 teaspoon olive oil, just enough to coat. Wrap in aluminum foil; bake 40-45 minutes or until cloves are soft when poked. Once garlic is done, carefully remove foil; set roasted garlic head aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, slide cloves out of their skin; set aside.
• Heat 2­- or 3-­quart pot over medium heat. When a drop of water dances and sizzles when it hits the pot, add butter and remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to the pot; stir until melted. (Waiting until the pot is hot will help prevent the vegetables from sticking.) Add thinly-sliced leek and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes or until vegetables have begun to soften and brown slightly. If the bottom still sticks, don't worry -- the stock and white wine will loosen any brown bits.
• Add 3 cups chicken stock, wine or sake, roasted garlic cloves, thyme, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom of pot. Bring mixture to a boil; turn heat down to a bubbling simmer. Cook 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile, place pancetta into a cold skillet. Heat to medium-low. Let pancetta cook slowly 5-8 minutes or until crisp and fat has rendered. Add breadcrumbs, salt, and red pepper flakes; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes or until crumbs are an even golden color.
• Puree soup using an immersion blender or doing batches in regular blender. Stir in crème fraîche and enough remaining stock until soup reaches desired consistency. Add more salt and black pepper as desired. Add a splash more of white wine or sake if soup tastes a bit too heavy or rich.
• Serve with pancetta breadcrumbs, minced parsley, and extra crème fraîche on top.

GREEN GARLIC, POTATO AND LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Trim off the tough green ends of the garlic bulbs. If the garlic has formed cloves, separate them and remove the thick shells from the tender cloves. If it has not formed cloves, just remove the outside layers. Chop coarsely. You should have about 1 cup chopped green garlic.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, green garlic, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook gently for five to 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened but not colored. Add the potatoes, water, bouquet garni and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• Purée the soup using an immersion blender. Alternatively, purée in a standing blender working in 1 1/2-cup batches; pull a towel tightly over the top, rather than a tight-fitting lid, to prevent splashes. Put through a medium strainer, pressing the soup through with the back of a ladle or with a pestle. Reheat, taste and adjust salt. Add freshly ground pepper. Ladle into soup bowls, and sprinkle chopped fresh parsley, chervil or chopped fresh tarragon over each serving. Alternatively, chill and serve cold. You can thin out if you wish with milk or stock.

POTATO, LEEK, AND ROASTED GARLIC SOUP

Steps:

• Cut top off of head of garlic and place in foil. cover with olive oil and salt and pepper. Wrap garlic and roast at 400°F until very lightly golden. set aside to cool.
• Chop cloves of garlic and slice white and light green parts of leeks. heat a table spoon or two of olive oil in a stock pot and add chopped garlic and sliced leeks. Sauté until soft. Cut potatoes into small wedges and add to the pot. sauté for just a few seconds and salt and pepper. Cover with water. Add half of the qt of chicken stock. from here, you add water and stock to taste.
• Squeeze roasted garlic out of the head/clove pods and into the stock pot with the soup. Smash any large pieces. Bring soup to a boil.
• Turn heat down to simmer until potatoes are soft. Salt, and pepper to taste. Add any other herbs or spices at this time (thyme is always lovely with chicken stock).