45 this morning, with a brisk wind. Cloudy, then clearing.
It's the first of the month, so time to call the rabbits for luck. I hope you all remembered?
March certainly came in with a whoosh--those March winds have been strong today. Even though the sun shone for most of the day, its warmth was blown away by the cold front moving in. We needed the wind, actually. It will help to dry up the very, very soggy ground. And thankfully the rains ended during the night, so today the flood waters have receded in most areas.
According to the Book of Days, St. David, the patron saint of Wales, died on this day in 601 A.D. so this is celebrated as St. David's Day in that country. St. David exhorted the soldiers to wear leeks in their hats when in battle against the Saxons so that the Welsh could tell which men were their own. The leek is one of the national symbols of Wales, the other being the daffodil. I can't think of any two plants I like more than these two.
So in honor of this day, here's my recipe for Leek Soup. Leeks are available now in most produce sections, so why not make a batch of this delicious soup?
Potato Leek Soup
2 tablespoons butter (I used olive oil)
1 large onion, chopped (didn't use, but substituted celery. I recommend the celery addition!)
2 leeks, chopped (mine were huge so probably equaled twice the store-bought kind)
2 tablespoons flour (didn't use)
4 cups chicken stock (used 4 cubes of chicken bouillon and 6 cups water, since I was out of broth)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used a lot more than this, probably 8 cups)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup low fat milk (didn't use)
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and leeks, sauté gently until soft. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in stock.
Add potatoes, bring to the boil, simmer gently for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir in milk and seasonings.
Puree soup in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 6.
Love the recipe, Sue; you seem to have varied it at every opportunity! That reminds me so much of Mum's approach to cooking. At one time she decided that she needed a set of scales to weigh ingredients. I remember watching her carefully weigh out the flour, then stand back and look at it for a few seconds before saying, "That doesn't look enough to me", and throwing in another spoonful or two! I often wonder what happened to those scales.
ReplyDeleteI do like potato and leek soup. Now you have me thinking of making it for next week. It's very windy here, too. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteHave a happy March...and your soup sounds delicious. I wouldn't recognize a leak if it bit me...so will have to look in the produce section to see what they look like. Wear one in one's cap? Strange sounding, but if it worked, fine!
ReplyDeleteYummy potato and leek soup. Sounds like dinner to me, too!!!!
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