Did you know that peas are very nutritious? They are a source of protein, iron and antioxidants, to name only a few. [Read more]
In this case they are enhancing a modified potato leek soup. Julia Child’s Potato Leek soup was the first recipe I made when I began my green notebook. It has now been added to this blog. Way back in 1983 Julia was offering these tips: to her potato leek soup you can add almost anything - squash, a few lettuce or spinach leaves, Brussels sprouts, spring beans. I’ve heard of people adding various veggies to the potato/leek base and one can even garnish with crisp bacon bits. In this case - we’re not peeling the baby potatoes and we’re adding peas and dill!
Getting Ready - what to buy and prep
garlic and leeks - aim for 2-3 cups of slices of the white part of the leek - you may need one or two leeks depending on how large the white part is
1 lb baby potatoes, unpeeled and cut into soup-spoon size wedges (see Notes below)
chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup of heavy cream (or a lower fat cream - whipping cream is 35%, table cream is 18% and half & half is 10%)
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup dill
Worcestershire sauce
6 servings
2 TB extra-virgin olive oil or cold-pressed canola
2 TB unsalted butter
1-2 medium leeks
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
“Medium” of anything is so vague, and leeks vary a lot re the size of the white and pale green parts. Aim to have about 2 cups of thinly sliced leeks - you may get that from one leek if the white part is large. Begin by rinsing out the grit and patting the leeks dry.
I make this in a Dutch oven. Heat the oil and butter over medium heat and cook the leeks for 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. You’re not looking for any colour on these - and for sure don’t brown/burn them.
1 lb. baby potatoes
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
No need to peel the potatoes. Give them a rinse, remove unsightly bits if there are any and cut them into soup spoon-size chunks. The little mini potatoes pictured below need only be cut in half.
Add the potatoes and broth to the pot. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook, uncovered until potatoes are tender - check them at 20 minutes. Best to leave salt/pepper seasoning the end. Unless the broth is low sodium you might not need any additional salt. Adjust this to your taste at the end.
1 cup cream
1 cup frozen peas
As noted above you can choose the fat level of the cream. I use heavy/whipping cream 35%. Add the cream and peas and cook until the peas are tender. This shouldn’t take much more than 5 minutes.
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup coarsely chopped dill,
plus sprigs for serving
Take the soup off the heat and add the Worcestershire sauce and dill. (You can substitute soy sauce for the Worcestershire.) Add more broth or cream at the end if you want to change the consistency. (I don’t.)
Add salt to taste and a wee bit of freshly ground pepper. Serve garnished with dill sprigs.
Notes and Tips...
Baby Potatoes - these are now available year-round, often packaged and ready to use. Those I like best are quite small, which means I only have to cut them in half to get soup-spoon-size pieces. The package says they are pre-washed, but I rinse them anyway. This 1-pound package is perfect for this recipe, yielding 4 cups of potato chunks.
A recipe from Bon Appetit (now behind a paywall) was my inspiration, but I have made quite a few modifications of ingredients and instructions. The original also had a slightly golden colour which may have come from the addition of a wee bit of paprika or turmeric.
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