One day while looking through the history of this blog, I noticed that I may need to diversify a bit on what I make. I really do like making new things, but I’ve been noticing a lot of those new things involve the same old things…mainly chicken.
There is a good reason for that and that reason is a tall smiling eight year old who loves chicken. But it really is time to work on something new. This recipe was found when wanting to make something on a work night that didn’t take all night, but still had great flavor.
It also gave me the idea to make soups a regular feature on the blog by way of creating a Soup of the Month! Right now, this will be the soup of February, but if something better comes along – I may have to re-crown the title.
The leek is what gives this soup a great balance and a nice kick. If you haven’t worked with leeks before, it is the one in the above pic that looks like a large green onion. They have some of the characteristics of garlic and onion combined and have a nice crisp texture, even after sauteed for 10 minutes and simmered in a soup.
Leeks are a vegetable that need to be cleaned well before using because the leaves of the leek grow so tightly together, it can allow for little bits of soil to remain even after the standard cleaning. In this case where we are chopping them up, cut and then run under cold water in a colendar for a few minutes. This will wash out any little bits of soil or particles left between the leaves. If you are wanting to work with a whole stalk, cut down the center and rinse the open side for a few minutes under cold running water.
As you can see from the first pic, this was not a meal made with an eight year old, it was a nice evening for two with warm bread, good soup and a smooth glass of wine. I little romantic without even trying. Enjoy!
White Bean Leek Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 3 scallions, diced
- 1 leek, chopped and cleaned
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 32oz Vegetable broth
- 2 (15.5 oz) cans white beans (I used Great Northern Beans)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Course sea salt and ground pepper
- Fresh Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Preparation:
- In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. While heating, chop scallions & leeks and mince garlic.
- Add leeks to the hot oil first, sweating them for about 10 minutes and stirring often. Add scallions, garlic and oregano. Continue cooking another 3 minutes to soften the scallions.
- Stir in broth and beans and cook until heated through. While cooking, smash some of the beans to make the soup creamier.
- About two minutes before serving, add lemon juice and salt and pepper. Serve with fresh grated cheese on top.
Happy Souping!!!
*This recipe is an adaptation of Martha Stewart’s 15-Minute White Bean Soup.
experimentalspoon.com 