Leek and Potato Soup With Kale

Have you got some potatoes, leeks and kale kicking around? How about making some soup?

When I was growing up, I hated soups. My mom always made me eat them, as she is a firm believer that warm liquid keeps guts healthy. Maybe she is right, but I don’t mind eating soups any longer. I love them, specially when prepared by her. During my early cooking days I was quite intimidated by soups and thought that making them was a form of fine art. And then I discovered cream soups and everything got less scary. Somehow, pureeing the soup hides any imperfections, makes it look sophisticated AND even kid-friendly (all the lovely vegetables are hidden from the vegetable-wary eaters). I always make my soups with broth, either chicken or beef, Chef Michael Smith has a great recipe that can be found here, but feel free to use vegetable stock or water.

Potato and leek soup is a beloved classic, but I decided to add some kale to it as I had some kicking around. I promise, this recipe will not disappoint!

The ingredients (serves 8):

• 5-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 3 leeks, sliced, white and light green parts only
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 kale leaves, chopped
• 3 tbsp butter (feel free to substitute with coconut oil)
• 8 cups broth or water
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 tsp white pepper
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Aren’t the greens so pretty?

The steps:

1. Heat the butter over medium heat in a medium sized pot
2. Add leeks, scallions, kale, garlic, bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes
3. Cover the pot with a lid, lower the heat slightly and cook until vegetables are softened, approximately 5 minutes
4. Add potatoes, bay leaves, salt and broth, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover with the lid (leave a bit of a crack to let some heat escape)
5. Cook until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork, about 30-45 minutes
6. Take out the bay leaves (don’t forget!)
7. With a blender (immersion or stand-up), puree the soup until there are no lumps left
8. If using stand up blender transfer the soup back into the pot
9. Add heavy cream and white pepper and reheat gently until the soup is about to start boiling
10. Serve with scallions and a teaspoon of cream sprinkled on top

All the greenery will get soft and start smelling delicious

The immersion blender is one of the most frequently used tools in my kitchen

Get creative with sprinkling some cream on top your soup and enjoy 🙂