"We stopped to take lunch at a small public house, where they gave us a rich
leek soup and a thick wedge of game pie washed
down with a lively dark beer."
-Mary Russell, MOOR
Thick Leek Soup
Contributed by Irene Henry on Jan. 20, 1998
2-3 bunches leeks
butter (about 2 oz.)
4-5 medium potatoes
water
salt/pepper
1/2 pint heavy cream
Slice leeks into thin crosswise slices, both white and green parts. Rinse
slices very very well in large colander (leeks are sandy).
Melt butter in large pot, add leeks and saute lightly.
Clean potatoes and dice.
Add potatoes to leeks with about 6-8 cups water, salt.
Simmer (about 3/4 hr.)
until vegetables are softened and liquid reduced.
Mash or blend to thick
creamy consistency. Add cream and heat through, correct seasonings.
If desired, serve cold as vichyssoise.
On the leek soup, do you drain the liquid before mashing or not?
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 18:22:42 -0500
From: "William & Irene J. Henry"
No, I don't. Some of the liquid will just cook down. Just mash it all up.
I generally just dump it into the blender and set it on 'puree'. This is
a very easy soup--if it comes out too thick, add more water or cream. If
it comes out too thin, add a couple more potatoes. It's just a matter of
taste. We prefer a 'West of Ireland' thickness--you could almost eat it
with a fork. Others may prefer a 'Dublin' thickness, which would be more
like commercial tomato soup consistency. My recipe comes in part from the
Frugal Gourmet's book on Immigrant Ancestors (Welsh cewl cannon) with
experiental variation.