Potato Leek Soup

I'm guessing that most people don't get super excited at the prospect of eating Potato Leek Soup. It probably doesn't sound that appetizing. Maybe it's the word "leek". Something about it just doesn't say "yummy". A lot of folks don't even know what a leek is, in my experience. It's in the onion family, yet milder than a yellow onion, and looks like a giant scallion. If you were to eat Potato Leek Soup cold, it's actually a French dish called "Vissychoise". That sounds a little more elegant than "leek".

This soup is tasty, comforting, and nutritious. Leeks are a good source of iron, vitamin C, and folic acid. It really only calls for about 4-5 ingredients in it's most basic form. Most traditional recipes call for cream, but I rarely put any dairy in it. It's creamy enough without it. I've tried several different recipes, but here's the one I used tonight:

Potato Leek Soup
1 tblsp olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into 1/4 inch rings, and washed
1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
4 cups of veggie broth (I like to use the No-chicken broth for this, since it is not tomato based)
a couple of pinches of dried rosemary or 2-3 tspns fresh
salt and pepper

1. Heat 4 qt saucepan and add oil
2. Sautee leeks, onions and 1/2 tspn salt in oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat
3. Add garlic. Sautee another minute.
4. Add broth, potatoes and rosemary if using dried
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or so, until potatoes are tender.
6. Put the soup into a blender, or use an immersion blender and puree. If you're using fresh rosemary, you would add it here. If you were using cream, you'd put the soup back in the pot and mix it in now. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper.