Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup

I have never in my life cooked with leeks before.  I've always glanced at them in the produce aisle and wondered what they tasted like, but had never actually encountered a recipe that called for using them.  They look like scallions on steroids, so I always just assumed they had an onion-like flavor.  Imagine my delight when Brenna selected the pureed broccoli-leek soup from The White Rachel Ray Binder as the next recipe to try. 

I will admit that leeks were kind of on the expensive side ($2.49 for the bunch of 3), but they were well worth it.  I loved the flavor!  They were much sweeter and milder than a regular yellow onion, but still had the taste of an onion.  Plus they don't make you cry when you chop them up.  Like the onion, they grow in soil, but unlike the onion which develops a bulb, the leek is made up entirely of bundled leaf sheaths.  The grit gets in between the individual sheaths so you have to make sure you clean your leeks very well.  Te recipe does not call for soil, sand, grit or any type of debris.

I chose to make the soup on a night my husband had a work event, so he didn't get the pleasure of sampling the leek, but knowing my husband, it's green and resembles and onion so he wouldn't have tried it anyway...and since I'm not his mom I can't make him try one bite.  Tyler wasn't a fan of the soup but finished his whole bowl.  Brenna and Aiden ate a few bites and didn't care for it very much, but they did get grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it so they were all still happy and fed.  I think it may have actually been the Gruyere cheese which turned them off more so than the leek because it has a much stronger flavor than the cheeses they are used to.  I think if I had substituted Cheddar the soup would have went over much better with the kids.  

Either way, this gentle giant of the onion family has indeed earned at least one new fan!

Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup

*Serves 4

1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets

4 tbsp. butter

4 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (I had HUGE leeks so I only used the 3 and could taste the flavor just fine)

Salt

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (normally I hate nutmeg, but it actually worked in the soup so don't leave it out!!)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

4 oz. of grated Gruyere cheese (about 1 cup)

The Leek aka the gentle giant!

Cut off the root end and the green tops.  Halve the white part lengthwise and discard the outer layer.

Soak the stalks in cold water for 10 mins and then rinse under cold running water to remove the grit from between the layers.

The broccoli florets ready to be steamed.  Cook the broccoli until soft, drain and set aside.

Once the leeks are cleaned, cut them into thin slices.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the leeks and sprinkle with salt.  Continue to cook and stir until the leeks are soft, approximately 15 mins.  Stir in the chicken broth and cook until half the broth is absorbed.

Place the leek mixture and broccoli in a food processor.  Add the cream and blend until smooth.

Add the pureed mixture back into the skillet, season with nutmeg, cayenne pepper and additional salt if needed.

The spices!

Add the cheese and cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted and the soup is heated through.

Since the heat was so low I decided to let the Assistant Chef have a hand at "cooking for real".  She was quite happy about this!

Assistant Chef helping to make the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  I used one piece of American Cheese and one slice of Gruyere Cheese so I would feel more grown up and gourmet.  Slices of toasted baguette or other bread would be nice too!

Pureed Broccoli-Leek soup.

Recipe for: Pureed Broccoli-Leek Soup

http://www.momsaysjustonebite.blogspot.com/
To prepare: Leeks must be cleaned very well so you don’t have sandy soup!  Recipe yields 4 servings.

Ingredients

Directions

1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets. 4 tbsp. butter 4 leeks, white parts only, cleaned well and thinly sliced. Salt ½ c. chicken broth ½ c. heavy cream ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg Pinch of cayenne pepper 4 oz. (about 1 cup) Gruyere cheese, grated

1.       Steam the broccoli florets until soft.  Drain and set aside. 2.       In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the sliced leeks, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often, until soft.  This should take about 15 mins.  3.       Stir in the chicken broth and cook until half the liquid is absorbed. 4.       Add the leek mixture, broccoli and cream to a food processor and blend well. 5.       Transfer pureed mixture back to the skillet and season with the nutmeg, cayenne pepper and additional salt if needed. 6.       Add the cheese and continue to cook over low heat until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.