French Friday with Dorie: Leek and Potato Soup, Smooth or Chunky, Hot or Cold

My Bowl of Leek and Potato Soup Garnished with Cheese and Fresh Parsley

This week we have a house guest from Singapore who is accustomed to eating only Chinese food every day. I love americanized Chinese food and would gladly cook it for him, however, one of the fun things about staying with other people is attempting to fit into their culture and trying new things, including new foods.  I decided  to prepare an “assignment” from Dorie, thinking that telling him about our Dorie-food-blogging-group would also be a fun topic of conversation.  I know that he eats very little sweets, in fact, fruit is a dessert. And, with all my family daily drop-ins, it is nice to have a pot of soup in the fridge for any hungry bodies.  I chose to make the Leek and Potato Soup which would have no strong flavors for our guest to get used to, and yet it would stretch him culturally...potatoes instead of rice; such a new concept for many.    With potatoes, butter, and milk even a simple soup would be that stretch for him.  I doubled the recipe and found a few mix-ins  that added color and brought interesting flavors to the pot.

Onions and Garlic Added to Melted Butter

Our sunny AZ temperatures kissed 80^ today, so I felt like visiting my garden for some fresh herbs...and I  found, instead, some very appealing, exceptionally flavorful, small, sweet red peppers.  I decided on the peppers instead of the herbs, as the herbs might take some getting used to for our guest (some o f  my kids can taste each one I add to a recipe), and I decided to add just a little parsley as a garnish.

While the Potatoes Simmer I will Ready My Additions

 Leeks Sauteed in Butter Before Adding to Soup

Sweet Red Peppers from my Garden

Looks Like Christmas with the Addition of Red Peppers to the Leeks

With Christmas music in the background, I first sauteed, in butter, diced onion with minced garlic until they sparkled.  The aroma quickly filled the house and excited me to continue (before Dorie, I would have  used olive oil, not butter).  I chose a tasty chicken stock and whole milk  over water which I added with my diced potatoes to the onion mixture.  While that was heating, I  sauteed leeks, and added my minced red garden peppers, and the color was beautiful...just like Christmas.  Then I found some ham that just begged to be used.  While the soup gently simmered, hubby and I untangled Christmas lights and put up a few strands decorating the front of our house...we are the last ones on our street to get our lights up this year...Did all of you cyber friends get your lights up almost before the Thanksgiving turkey was cleaned up and the dishes were done?  I am still wondering what happened to Thanksgiving this year.  With Black Friday beginning on Thanksgiving afternoon and continuing through the following week, and with all the neighborhood getting their decorations up on Thanksgiving afternoon...well, I feel like I was cheated out of a portion of that very special day.

I Used the End from our Thanksgiving Spiral Cut Ham

Diced Ham Added to Leeks and Red Peppers

One of my daughters dropped in and asked for a cheese garnish.  With that in mind, I just could not help myself from adding about a pound of grated cheese to my soup....who am I to argue with a cheese suggestion?  Cheese is almost up there with chocolate (well, not really).  Between the two of them, they can fit into just about any common recipe.  I had thought about putting my add-ins into separate little bowls on the table so each person could choose their own garnish, but they kept jumping into the pot, just like magic.

A Pound of Grated Cheese

By now the whole house is really smelling great and hubby cannot refrain from stirring my soup...and, he is extremely interested in what I am cooking as our guest is his very special friend...and Hubby worries that he should go out and find some Chinese food to please his guest...but I am not concerned.  The soup is beautiful, the aroma that fills my house is delicious, the Christmas decorations are getting up, the house is clean, and a batch of freshly baked cookies is on the table...if our guest does not need sweets, by this point, I do! 

Hubby Can't Resist Stirring the Pot as the Cheese Continues to Melt into the Broth

It was all quite irresistible.  Hubby could not wait. All that pot stirring was more than he could take.   I had planned to make the croutons and  some dinner rolls, and I thought about picking some fresh chives to snip as a garnish.  But he was starving and just had to eat.   The verdict: He loved the soup! especially with all my add-ins.

Well, gotta go...our guest has just arrived.  Talk to you all again next week.  Happy Holidays!

NOTE:  I was sidetracked a bit during this cooking experience...the Cub Scouts came to the door, singing Christmas Carols with gusto, and then asked me for a can of soup for their charitable food drive.  I went to the pantry and dug out every can of soup I could find...and there were many...and gave the scouts every can.  No more canned soup in this house.  There are too many easy and wonderful soups that can be cooked with very little effort...and I always have ingredients needing to be used.  The flavor of this wonderful soup and last weeks "Daube", and my use-up-the-turkey-noodle-soup from about a week ago have all convinced me that I will never again buy a can of soup.  Period!