Well, here at Made by Yours Truly, we've gone through a year or so of things that definitely haven't been working, but, as they say, just wait awhile and it'll change. Well, today was that day!
I was craving potato leek soup and leeks
happened to be really affordable at the grocery store yesterday, so who was I to say "no?" But then I realized, that starchy potato soup was probably not in my healthiest interest. It's one thing to indulge every now and then, but since the soup won't freeze well (more like it won't defrost well) and I'm the only one eating at my house regularly, I will probably be eating soup all week long. That's officially too many indulgences. So, I looked to the left of the leeks and found turnips! These are one of my favorite potato replacements in things like soups, roasted root veggie dishes, mashes, etc. They behave almost exactly the same as potatoes when cooked, taste almost exactly the same,
but they are no where near as starchy, carb-y, or calorie-y as potatoes. Let's take a look.
Crazy, huh?
Now, my Great-Granny Williams is probably rolling in her grave with how I changed her original recipe, but personally, I think it came out pretty good.
Ingredients:
- 6 Turnips
- 3 Leeks
- 3 C Chicken/Veggie Stock
- 2 T Butter
- 1/2 C Milk
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional Garnish:
- Diced bacon
- Cheddar cheese
- Chives
In a soup pot, over low-medium heat start melting the butter.
Cut the leeks in half and rinse thoroughly. There will probably be a lot of dirt between the layers, especially where the green meets the white.
You should probably wash the turnips now, while your hands are wet.
Cut the leeks into small pieces. Don't worry about them being even sized or too little, they're going to be pureed at the end.
Dump all the leeks in with the butter. Give it a good swirl so all the little bits mix in with the butter. Let it chill and do it's thing for a while.
Don't worry about crowding the pan, everything will cook at about the same speed.
While the leeks are getting soft and filling your whole house with amazing smells that make your mouth water, peel the turnips and chop them into smallish pieces. The smaller the pieces, they faster they will cook through. Stop as you finish each couple and give the leeks another swirl so the ones on top get some heat.
When the leeks are soft and have become somewhat translucent, add the turnips to the pot. This should happen right about the time you're finished cutting them all up.
Season with salt and pepper, add the stock, increase the heat to full blown medium and bring to a simmer.
I don't completely cover everything with the stock because I want the end result to be pretty thick and creamy. So I use less liquid and stop the cooking before the turnips become too mushy.
After 10 minutes or so, you'll know it's done when you can stick a fork through the turnip and it's soft and kind of crumbly. A lot of the edges will look a little clear, with somewhat more opaque centers.
Turn the stove off and puree the crap out of those suckers. If you have an immersion blender, this is the perfect excuse to use it. If you don't, transfer a couple cups at a time to a blender, but make sure there's plenty of liquid in the blender with it.
Once it's pureed to a creamy soup, add the milk for a little extra creaminess and texture.
Now for my favorite part, dish it up, top with your preference of garnish and eat!
