Potato Leek Soup

One Bite At A Time - Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends by Rebecca Katz is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks!  All of her recipes are nourishing and immune boosting and oh ---those photographs of so many recipes makes me want to cook nonstop!  Unfortunately, I can't eat many of her tasty recipes, but the approach she uses for flavor combinations and her vast knowledge of nutrition has been inspiring for me.  Many of her soup recipes are pureed, so I have tried most of them and this one is definitely one of my favorites.  Using yukon gold potatoes and leeks from my husband's garden, this soup was voted a "keeper" by my husband, Tom, and my 18-year old son, Sam.  The recipe gave directions for roasting a head of garlic, which I had never done before, but was convinced of its merit as the aroma permeated the kitchen.  It was definitely worth the time.  One day I added some pureed kale that I had in the freezer to a portion of this soup and oooolala.  Yummy.  Nutritious.  Digestible!  Ah...life is full of Pzazz!




Yukon Golds and Russet Potatoes from Tom's garden

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds medium  Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, or a pinch of dried rosemary
1 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 leeks, white part only, chopped
8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Cut the top off the head of garlic and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.  Wrap the garlic in a square of parchment paper and then in a slightly larger piece of aluminum foil.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until soft and golden.  The aroma will tell you when it's ready.  Remove from the oven to cool.

Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Toss the potatoes with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the pepper and rosemary.  Spread on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes, or until tender.  Transfer to a bowl and mash by hand.  Set aside.

While the potatoes are roasting, in a 6 - 8 quart pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and leeks, decrease the heat, and saute until both the leeks and the onions are golden.  Add the roasted garlic by squeezing it from its skin and saute for 30 seconds.  Deglaze the pot with 1 cup of the broth.  Once the liquid evaporates, add 7 cups of the stock and simmer for 25 minutes.

In a blender or using an immersion stick blender, puree the potatoes and broth until smooth.  Return the soup to the pot and taste; you may need to add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon.  If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more broth or water.  To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a pinch of nutmeg.

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 10


Kale can be added to this soup too!

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories: 137

Total Fat:  0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 275 mg

Total Carbs: 29 g

Dietary Fiber: 3 g

Protein: 5 g