Why not? When buying a new car, you can build a custom auto to your liking. Otherwise, we’d all be driving black cars. So why not create a recipe that allows you to build your own soup? You can then tweak the recipe to play casual or more formal, depending on the occasion.
With a chill in the air, use my Potato and Leek Soup recipe as the base of your soup à la carte; it allows for so much creativity on your part. Basically, this recipe is a blank canvas for you to adapt to the addition of most vegetables, meats, seafood, and legumes.
Tips:
Use approximately 1 cup of any vegetable, meat, seafood, or legume.
Cut up any additions into small or a maximum of one-half to one-inch pieces. Why so small? Simply, it fits on a soup spoon.
Adjust flavor by grilling a piece of salmon vs. poaching. For a delicate flavor, poach the meat or seafood in the soup itself. For a more robust flavor, pre-grill if you crave a little smoke taste.
Change presentations by serving a larger piece of fish or meat on a soup plate and use a half-cup of the base Potato Leek Soup as a sauce garnish; served around the fish or meat. In a more formal setting, include a knife and fork for the guest’s ease.
Vegetables:
Corn, cabbage, escarole, leeks, mushrooms, parsnips, yams, etc.
Meats:
Chicken, pulled pork, smoked ham, cooked pancetta, cooked bacon, etc.
Seafood:
Cod, shrimp, scallops, clams, crabmeat, salmon, oysters, etc.
Dairy & Eggs:
Poached egg, shredded cheese, parmesan, sour cream, yogurt, non-fat half & half, etc.
Legumes:
Black, chickpeas, cannellini, navy, red beans, etc.
A simple staple like a potato can make for a very hearty and satisfying soup.
Potato Leek Soup
Makes eight servings
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
1 leek, whites only, washed and chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
3 cups Yukon Gold Potatoes, *scrubbed & medium diced
3 cups chicken broth
6 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat a medium-sized soup pot. Add olive oil, butter, onion, leek, and garlic. Cook for two minutes until the onions are translucent. Add nutmeg, chicken broth, and two tablespoons of chives. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower it to a simmer, cooking for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Puree half of the soup mixture, leaving the remaining chunky bits of potatoes. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with a drizzle of cream, cheddar cheese, and the remaining fresh chives.
*Good to Know: Wash potatoes and leave skins on to preserve the nutrients in the flesh of the potato. It is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, copper, potassium, and dietary fiber.
