31 Days of Green: Day 27 Leek

Most of the time I come across new vegetables while trolling the farmers market tables or getting a csa box. Less often I get a recipe that has an ingredient I haven’t heard of, and I have to go hunting. The later is the case when it came to leeks. Several years ago I got a modest soup recipe for ‘potatoes and leek soup’.  I had no clue what a leek was, lucky for me it wasn’t too hard to find. Of course it was one of those things that once you’ve heard of it, you start to see it everywhere. I realized I had seen this at the farmers market before, and I just thought it was an overgrown green onion, if those sorts of things exist. I came to love the subtle but powerful flavor of leeks and incorporate them regularly into my cooking.  They taste a bit like a green onion but not as strong and more complex. They are also nutritious and hold up well to storage.  I improved the classic potato and leek soup to use ingredients that were all found at the farmers market this week. Enjoy!

Early Spring Harvest Soup

Gluten Free

Serves 2-4

4 green onions

1 large leek

4 medium turnip roots

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil for the pan

Heat a little olive oil over medium in a pot. Add sliced green onions and sliced leeks. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add chopped turnips and chicken stock and simmer for about 20 minutes until the turnip are very soft. Let the soup cool some and then put it into a food processor or blender with a vent and blend until mostly smooth. If you have an immersion blender you could just use that. Return it to the pot and add the salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Notes and Substitutions

You could add any vegetables you like, try to get what is in season!

How do you like to eat leeks?