Gourmet Bling on a Shoestring®

Creamy Leek & Garlic Soup with Roasted Pepitas

Recipe

& Photo by Pat Friedman

The mouth-feel is very complex for such a simple soup.

Something year-round about this soup; it’s green, simple, satisfying. . . and mine has a twist with fresh garlic, a hit of lemon for brightness, and a sprinkling of roasted pepitas for texture and umami flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 large leeks (about 3 cups chopped - discard the woody greens)

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• Lemon wedge for juice

• ½ cup good olive oil (I tried grapeseed oil and it was excellent)

• 1-2 pats of butter for richness

• 1 tsp roasted pepitas, per served bowl (pumpkin seeds contain shells or hulls; pepitas come from hulless pumpkin varieties.)

• 1 rounded tsp of your choice flour

• 1 can chicken broth or your homemade stock

• 2 cups hot water

• ¼ cup cream, ½ & ½, milk or unflavored/unsweetened substitute

• 1 tsp celery seed

• Pinch salt for sautéing the veggies

• Pinch salt for balancing the soup’s flavors

• Black or white pepper – finely ground

Link To Easy Conversion Chart

Healthy

Hint:

try a hot oil and cream drizzle on the surface of the soup, very last minute. Hot oilNOT hot sauce. If you haven’t got hot oil, put some hot peppers in some oil on medium heat for 3 minutes, come back later and you’ve got hot oil. Oh - some whipped cream of coconut is also an ecstatic touch.

method servings 3 - 4

1. Slice vertically and wash extremely well all layers of the leeks; they hold onto silt and the grit will deter from the dining experience if not thoroughly washed.

2. In a heavy Dutch or other soup pot, heat oil on medium heat.

3. Add leeks with salt and cook, stirring often, for at least 15 minutes until thoroughly tender. This is a long-cooking vegetable -- any recipes you see calling for a few minutes of cooking time were posted by someone who does not know leeks and did not test the recipe.

4. Fold in garlic and celery seeds. Cook for a few more minutes.

5. Add broth and water; stir and cover. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer at least 5 minutes.

6. Soften the butter in a small bowl. Stir in the flour until a smooth consistency. Stir into the soup. Allow soup to bubble, to activate the flour as a thickening agent.

Add salt, pepper to taste: NOTE – the pepitas are often salty, so use less salt.

Add a hit of lemon juice for a bright note, not to flavor it.

Carefully blend, using an immersion wand or in small batches in a food processor. Avoid using a blender: there’s not enough room at the bottom to fully blend. Avoid leaving pieces of the leek; this is a cream-of soup.

10. Swirl in cream or milk.

11. Serve evenly into 3-4 bowls. Garnish with the seeds and serve immediately with crisp flatbread and a clear, sweet beverage. Indulge yourself.

In addition to being a longtime gourmet chef and organic gardener , with an emphasis on fresh, local and organic ingredients, our Producer/Chief Editor Pat Friedman has been an avid naturalist and a widely-published environmental &