January 24, 2023

Potato and Spinach Soup with Green Cream

I can watch the movie Julie and Julia on repeat. Always, when it’s over, I go to the kitchen and take down the tattered copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It really is a love story, and so deserves to be treated as one. Gently caressing the cover and slowly running my fingers across each page as its turned, I come to the first recipe, Leek and Potato Soup. Julia assures, it “smells good, tastes good, and is simplicity itself to make”. Although I’ve read the words a dozen times, I suddenly realize it was this soup base that was used in making a potato and spinach soup in “my favorite cooking class” (eye roll from my besties). Leeks become mellow and sweet when they’re cooked. Choose the smaller ones at the market, as they tend to be less tough. Use the white part and only the green part that is tender. Be sure to remove the outer layer and rinse them well to remove all that gritty soil left behind. If you’ve never made homemade croutons, well, today should be the day.

Ingredients

1 white onion – chopped
2 leeks – white and tender green – rinsed clean and thin sliced
3 russet potatoes – peeled and diced (keep in ice water until ready to add to stock pitot)
water – 8 cups
small parmesan rind
2 handfuls spinach – rough chopped
10 basil leaves
butter – enough
3/4 cup of heavy cream – or a few tablespoons of butter
1 Udi gluten free French loaf ( Freezer section at Publix)
1 bouquet garni – parsley, bay leaf, thyme, leek
Olive oil – enough

In a stock pot, sauté diced onion and sliced leeks in butter until soft. Add peeled diced potatoes, water, bouquet garni, and parmesan rind. Simmer 40 minutes until potatoes are cooked. Remove bouquet garni and parmesan rind. Add spinach (rough chopped) and simmer 5 minutes. Puree, using an immersion blender, or run through a food mill. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream, S&P. Serve.