One reason I like to share my favorite recipes on my blog is that I can then bloody find them!
I am challenged in recipe organization.
I can’t tell you how many times I have hunted for this recipe. I love it because it’s velvety delicious, relatively quick to make and yet not run-of-the-mill, and the ingredients are easy to find. Originally I discovered it in an issue of Magnolia Journal last summer, but it is nowhere to be found on the Magnolia site.
Did I rip out the magazine page? Is it in my stack of recipes in Indiana, or in my binder in Chicago? (Having two homes complicates things.) Did I snap a picture of it with my phone? But when? Where in my gallery of thousands of photos will I find it? The search function yields images of soups I’ve cooked, but no recipes. I remember the page was reddish, and eventually I find it in the late August array. Turns out in the original recipe the soup is called a “bisque,” a term I’d never search for.
All that is to say, this soup is now shared with you and establishing a home here, where I shall be able to find it in the future. Hopefully, as this is my year of “getting sorted,” I will finally organize my physical recipe collection. If you have any tips on that, bring them on! Until then, here goes:
Sweet Potato and Leek Soup
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
3 leeks, white parts only, rinsed and cut into 1/2 inch slices (you’ll need another 3 for the frizzled leeks topping, see below, if desired)
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth (For those who keep kosher like me: I use a parve mix.)
1 tbsp. tarragon
1/2 cup heavy cream
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes, leeks and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add garlic, cook for a minute or two, until fragrant. Add wine, cook and stir for a few minutes until the wine is nearly evaporated.
Add broth and tarragon. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender.
Let the soup cool slightly, then puree it in a blender. Return to the soup to the pot and stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper.
When serving, top the soup with frizzled leeks, if desired:
Frizzled Leeks
While the soup is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the thinly sliced white parts of three leeks and fry them until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer the leeks to a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Sprinkle on top of soup when serving.