Potato Soup with Fried Leeks

Potato Soup with Fried Leeks

It’s spring and leeks are in season.  Here’s a beautiful way to enjoy their mild taste, Potato Soup with Fried Leeks.  Don’t be afraid to add plenty of kosher salt and if you have truffle oil- drizzle it lightly on top before serving!

Ingredients:

2 large leeks

3 Tbsp of vegetable oil

4 Tbsp of butter

4 Tbsp of kosher salt

5 Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

6 cups of water

1/2 cup of heavy cream

(truffle oil to drizzle on top)

Cut leeks in half and rinse in water, separating leaves as your clean them.  Drain and cut into 1/2 inch strips.

In a large pot, heat oil.  When oil starts to bubble, drop in 1/4 cup of leeks and fry for only 1-2 minutes.  Remove as they turn brown and drain on a paper towel.  Season with a pinch of salt and set aside.

Drain any remaining oil and add the rest of the leeks to the pot.  Over medium heat, cook leeks in butter until tender.  Add salt.

Turn heat to high.  Add potatoes, carrots and enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Turn off heat.  Transfer mixture to a blender (or use an emerging blender) and blend until smooth.  Pour soup back into the pot and mix in heavy cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in individual bowls with a topping of fried leeks and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Kale Linguine

Kale Linguine

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best.  Kale Linguine proves that.  It’s just kale, pasta and a few pantry ingredients.   Simply delicious.  (Tip: if you don’t have pine nuts, grab some walnuts.  Just make sure to toast them before serving to bring out the crunchy, nutty flavor.  It will finish this dish beautifully!)

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale, stems removed

1 box of linguine

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 Tbsp of minced garlic

1 tsp of crushed red pepper

1 Tbsp of kosher salt

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts

Begin by boiling a large pot of water.  Add pasta and cook according to directions.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil.  Add garlic, red pepper and salt.  Cook until the garlic begins to turn brown.  Remove from heat.

In the last minute of cooking the pasta, add the kale and cook quickly.  Using tongs, remove both the pasta and the kale from the boiling water and place into skillet with prepared oil.  (Do not strain the pasta, you will need to reserve some of the water for later.)

Toss in oil.  Add parmesan cheese.  Add 1 cup of reserved pasta water.  Toss again before serving.

Top with more parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts.