everyone loves a good "throw it together" soup, and this one is just that. in a total of 45 minutes you can go from drab to fab in the soup department of your kitchen. have i also mentioned just how much i love leeks? they are a great addition to a ton of dishes, and provide a sweet onion-y flavor without the bite. add some potatoes to the mix and this party just got souper. (i know, i know.)
the croutons can be made up to days before and used on everything from this soup, to spruce up your sad desk lunch salad, quick snack... you get my drift. lately i've been using the amazing asiago sourdough bread from trader joe's (aka mecca). you don't even have to wait for it to get a lil stale, just chop it up right from the store. the key to achieving that perfect crouton crunch (some say) is to go low and slow...low heat, tossing often, longer time in oven = crunch supreme.
soup
here's what you need:
- 3 medium leeks, cleaned and trimmed
- 1 small sweet onion
- 3 tbsp. butter or olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4-5 dutch gold potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 4-6 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (or greek yogurt)
- fresh chives, for topping
cheesy garlic croutons
here's what you need:
- loaf of bread of your choosing
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- garlic salt
- grated parmesan cheese
- pepper
here's how to do it:
for the croutons: preheat your oven to 300 and cut your bread into 1/2 inch cubes (aka, crouton size). toss in olive oil, garlic salt, parmesan and pepper. bake for 20-25 min tossing often to make sure all sides get a crisp factor.
for the soup: in a stock pot, sauté leeks and onion in the butter or oil for 5 minutes. add garlic and sauté for another 5 minutes until all are translucent. deglaze the pan with the white wine (have a little sip for yourself, you're doing so well!), and stir until the wine soaks into the mixture. add your chopped potatoes and chicken stock (if you're not using better than bouillon's chicken base for this part, well then, you should) and bring everything to a boil. cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes. using an immersion blender (or feel free to use a standing one) blend the soup until creamy, adding in cream or this greek yogurt trick, as needed. salt and pepper to taste. top with some fresh chives, croutons, and enjoy!
