Roasted Potato, Leek, and Fennel Velouté (Velvety Soup)

Servings: Serves about 8
Time: 1 hour or less.

The principal flavor ingredients of this soup are all oven-roasted. My love affair with oven roasting vegetables began with a simple, effortless recipe for oven-roasted broccoli. (Toss florets with salt and an oil that had a smoke point higher than 400 degrees F. Place florets on an oiled cast iron griddle and roast for about 20 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees F, depending on the size of the pieces. It’s done when you can get a fork through the thicker stems. The aroma in the house will tease your nose, the nutty flavor will tantalize your taste buds, and you’ll never go back.) 

The thought of roasting (and caramelizing) potatoes, leeks, onions and fennel in the oven is a no-brainer for you once you’ve begun oven roasting broccoli and cauliflower. Oven roasting brings out delicious flavors in almost every vegetable. The fibrous leek, onion and fennel of this recipe are tamed in the oven and their flavors end up softly integrating with the creamy smooth potato, transforming the mixture into a velvety smooth, soft pillow of flavor that glides across the tongue.

Once the mixture is pureed to a slightly lumpy texture and gently heated through, it is complete.  (Be careful not to process too long, as potato can get gummy, if over processed.)  This soup is fast, and (o la la!) so flavorful! Slice, toss, bake, puree - - et, voilà!
It quickly became a favorite in our house!

Ingredients:
2 large or 3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, ½ - inch slices, cleaned of sand (See instructions.)
2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into ¾ -inch chunks
¼ cup + ¼ cup (1/2 cup divided) oil (Sunflower, grapeseed, and avocado oils have smoke points above 400 degrees F.)
2 fennel bulbs (reserve a few of the smaller fronds for garnish)(save the rest for juicing/smoothies)
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt, divided ½ tsp + ½ tsp (more, later, to taste)
Fresh black pepper
2 cups warm vegetable broth
2 cups unsweetened warm soy or almond milk

Optional Garnish:
In a small frying pan place:
1 TBSP oil
1 tsp dry thyme, (or ½ bunch fresh thyme)
½ lb. sliced Cremini mushrooms, stems removed
Cook on medium heat.  Place on paper towel to absorb any remaining moisture, and set aside until soup is ready to eat.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice leeks into half lengthwise, then cut 1/2 – inch slices.  Place in bowl of water and swish around with your hand until you are sure the sand/dirt has been washed away. Drain. Place in clean bowl with potato chunks, pour ¼ cup oil and mix oil, potato chunks and leeks together with ½ - tsp salt to coat completely. Place sliced potatoes and leeks on one baking sheet (that is lined with parchment or oiled. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast potatoes and leeks for 15 minutes.

While potatoes and leeks are roasting for 15 minutes, prepare the fennel and onions. Slice the fennel bulbs -- top to base, in 1/2 inch slices Cut onion into ½ inch slices. Toss fennel and onions  with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to coat completely. Place on the other baking sheet just like you did with the potato-leek mixture.

When the potatoes and leeks have roasted for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and flip with a spatula.  Return to the oven on the upper rack, and place the fennel and onions on the middle rack.

Roast for 10 minutes, then remove the fennel and onions, flip, and roast an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Potatoes should be tender at this point. Fennel and onions should be a bit caramelized. Remove from oven.

If you wish, reserve a few pieces of fennel for garnish. Place potato-leek and fennel-onion in the bowl of food processor along with warmed milk and broth. Pulse a few times, so that it’s creamy but still chunky. Do not over-process.  Thin with water, if needed. Warm on stove until heated through. (This will blend flavors nicely.)

You can also transfer all ingredients to a soup pot and blend with a submersion blender (instead of with a food processor) making sure to leave the mixture chunky.

Add salt and pepper if needed, ladle into bowls, garnish with sautéed mushrooms, fennel pieces, and fennel fronds, and serve! Bon appétit!

Potato Leek Soup

Leeks are those elongated, layered, root vegetables in the onion-garlic  (allium) family.  I remember learning about a lot of new, strange-looking foods at my mother's table, but, as far as I remember, even my Mom never made leek soup.  Leeks are a bit frightening when you first approach them, but once you learn how to clean and cook them, (and once you sample their subtle flavor!) they quickly become a preferred flavor in your meals. They offer a variety of vitamins (especially Vitamin K and A!), polyphenols and  minerals, and they are low in calories. Leeks possess a flavonoid, Kaempferol, which protects the heart.  High in the B vitamin, folate, leeks help to balance our levels of homocysteine, a factor considered to play a part in cardiovascular disease. If you are going to make a leek broth, you will want to wash the leeks, remove the toughest outer layer, cut the leeks in half lengthwise, wait 5 minutes (believed to enhance the nutrient value!), and then slice the halves again lengthwise several times, making it into a fan, so that it will cook quickly.  I think that the time to really clean the leek is after it is cut, but it may also remove some of the nutrient value.  All I can say is, if I separate the inner layers of the leek, I still find dirt, so soaking it after I cut is is my preference.  It is customary to use the lighter, white portion of the leek, cutting off the greener part. (At the farmer's markets in Paris, they will offer to cut the green ends off when you buy them.)  In Mexico, I use Microdyn (found at Costco and other stores in Mexico) in the soaking.  Microdyn is an inexpensive colloidal silver used as a sanitizer. There is also a Sam's version of this in Mexico, but I haven't seen this product in the U.S., so I usually take some with me when I go to the U.S. 

 

I think you're going to love this soup! It's a favorite in our house.

Potato Leek Soup

By Kathleen M. Gallier

Preparation:

Peel and coarsely chop into 1- inch cubes:

            Potatoes – 3-4 pounds

Cut into halves lengthwise, chop into ¼ inch slices and then wash:

            Leeks – 2 (white parts only)

Dice:

            Onions 1-2 medium to large (1 lg. is usually enough)

Mince:

            Garlic, minced – 1 tsp.

Peel and finely chop:

            Carrots – 4

            Celery Stalks – 4

Instructions:

In large soup pot, over medium heat:

Oil – 2 TBSP

Add onions, garlic, leeks and sauté until translucent.

(Note: if you are in a real hurry, omit the sauté and the oil, and just toss everything in to boil.  It's even lower in calories that way and still tastes exquisitely delicious.)

Add to this:

            Potatoes, carrots, celery

            Cold or room temp. water – 7 cups, or more -- enough to cover ingredients.

Bring to a boil on high heat and then add:

            Parsley – 1 tsp. dried or 1 TBSP fresh

Sea Salt - 1 tsp.

Lower heat to simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are quite soft and vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes).

If time, set mixture aside to cool.

Puree the mixture until smooth, in batches that your food processor will hold.

Return the pureed soup to the pot and gently reheat.

Adjust the seasonings.

Add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Add water or soymilk if mixture is too thick for your liking.

Serve at once.

Serves 8 to 10 people.