Hearty and healthy winter soup.
I’ve been asked for my potato and leek soup recipe so I thought I’d share it here. It’s from Mollie Katzen’s wonderful vegetarian cookbook The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.
After the excess of Christmas and with just over three months to go before my wedding, I’m on a bit of a health kick at the moment. I thought I might try to share one low-fat, low-calorie recipe each week. Would that appeal? Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss out!
This is a great winter recipe as it’s hearty and satisfying and potatoes and leeks are in season in the UK right now. (I get an organic vegetable box from Abel & Cole and we are getting loads of potatoes and leeks each week).
This soup is thick and rich-tasting but it has no butter, cream or oil and is actually very healthy. You can even omit the milk if you prefer. I use semi-skimmed milk and for people following the Weight Watchers programme, I calculate this has 1 point per serve. (Since it’s just half a potato and one-sixth of a cup of low-fat milk per person).
You can also serve it hot or cold, though at this time of year I’d suggest hot is definitely the way to go! For dinner last night, I served it with chopped flat-leaf parsley and a pita bread toasted with low-fat cheese.
The recipe given below is exactly as it is printed in the book, with my own notes in italics. Please note it’s a US recipe, so a “cup” is 8 fluid ounces. However, it’s pretty darn close to a metric cup, which is 250ml. If you use kitchen scales rather than a measuring cup, then water is the same in weight as it is in volume (100ml water = 100g) and milk is close enough. It’s not baking so these measurements don’t need to be exact.
Potato-leek soup
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Equally delicious hot or cold, this thick, rich-tasting butter-and-oil-free soup is very simple to make. If you prefer, you can omit the milk or substitute soy milk. It will still taste wonderful.
Ingredients
3 medium-sized potatoes
3 cups cleaned, chopped leeks (about 3 medium leeks)
1 medium stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
4 cups water
1.5 tsp salt
1 cup milk (lowfat or soy ok) (I used semi-skimmed)
Freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL: Snippets of fresh herbs (thyme, marjoram, basil) (or parsley)
Method
1. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. (It’s up to you whether you want to peel them or not). Place them in a soup pot or Dutch oven with the leeks, celery, carrot, water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat, and let it cool until it’s no longer too hot to purée.
2. Purée the soup in a blender of food processor. (You’ll probably need to do this in batches). Return the purée to the pot. Stir in the milk.
3. Add black pepper to taste, and adjust salt, if necessary. Serve hot or cold, possibly served with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.
[...] 1. Eat less like a golden retriever and more like a spa guest I’m not a big girl but I’ve been carrying a few extra kilos for far too long. I’m hoping the desire to look fabulous at my wedding in April will be enough to conquer my greed so I can knock this goal on the head for once and for all. I plan to share a few healthy recipes on this over the next few months, like this potato-leek soup. [...]