Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Julia Child's Potato Leek Soup
Potato Leek Soup
Adapted from Yum Sugar via Julia Child
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound or 4-5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (I used red skin potatoes and left the skin on because I like the heartier texture.)
- 1 pound or 3 large leeks and thinly sliced (frozen leeks also work)
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- Salt, to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
- 1/3 cup minced parsley or chives
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large (6+ quart) stockpot or dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the leek and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften and brown slightly, about 8-12 minutes.
- Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove from heat and blend until smooth either using an immersion blender, or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches.
- Add the cream, and season to taste with salt (start with 1 teaspoon) and lemon juice. ( I found that the potato leek puree is already delicious without cream, so if you’re like me and like to avoid the richness of cream, you can loosen the puree with 1/4 cup of additional stock and 1/4 cup of regular milk.)
- Ladle into mason jars for easy storage. When ready to serve, pour into bowl, warm up, and garnish with minced parsley or chopped chives.
Servings: 6
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Greek Scampi
Ingredients
- 6 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained $
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 6 tablespoons (about 1 1/2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Preparation
- 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
- 2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add green bell pepper to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Add black pepper and shrimp; cover and cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in red pepper; remove from heat. Place 1 cup pasta on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 cup shrimp mixture and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese.