Leek Potato Soup

This soup is my MIL's favorite. Everytime she comes to the US she wants me to make the "leek soup". The recipe is a modification of the original from my Victory Garden cookbook by Marian Morash. The book was recommended by my friend and coworker HDL. HDL always used to bring these enormous lunches and each day his wife would make him something very interesting. This soup was one of HDL's favorites and it looked so hearty and yummy I had to get the recipe from him. This recipe originally is very "rich". Butter and cream add great flavor to it. However I just can't get myself to drink bowl-fulls of such heartiness. So here is my reduced fat version. If you want to make the original full fat recipe substitute olive oil for a stick of butter and milk for heavy cream and you should be all set. The original recipe asks to use chicken stock but you can use vegeatble stock or water also. I recommend some form of stock. So here it is my leek potato soup for Aai.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

1 tblsp oilve oil
6 cups of chopped leeks: make sure you have washed the leeks well to remove all the grit
2 stalks chopped celery
one large onion chopped
5 to 6 potatoes chopped
2 quarts of vegetable stock/chicken stock/water
1/2 to 1 cup 2% milk
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat olive oil. Add chopped onion. Saute till transparent. Add celery and leeks. Saute till they reduce in volume.

Add chopped potatoes and stock. Mix and bring to a boil.


Reduce heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer covered till potatoes are cooked. Use a hand blender and carefully puree the soup in the pot till it turns smooth and thick and all the potatoes, leeks and celery are nice blended together. The soup in this form freezes well. To serve, add milk to simmering soup, stir. Serve hot garnished with parsley along with some crusty bread.