One of my favorite activities in late Fall and early Winter is making soup. With all of the great vegetables still available from the garden I am always looking for new and tasty combinations. For this soup I started with a basic potato/leek soup recipe using chicken stock as the liquid. To this, I added cooked Kenearly Yellow Eye beans that I had grown and dried this year. Rock-n-Roll in a bowl! Really, this was pretty good, especially with bacon bits sprinkled on top.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter
6 medium leeks that have been cut in half lengthwise and then sliced in 1/4″ segements
1 pound of your favorite potatoes peeled and diced (I used French Fingerlings)
6 cups of chicken stock (homemade is the way I roll)
3 Cups cooked beans (I used Kenearly Yellow Eye beans that I had grown and dried) (2 cans of cooked white beans would also work)
PROCEDURE
Add butter and oil to a dutch oven, set temperature to medium, add leeks and saute for eight to ten minutes.
Add potatoes and cook until they begin to soften. (10 minutes)
Add stock and beans. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Working in batches, puree using a food processor.
Serve with an herb garnish (chives, green onions, fresh thyme, etc.) or cooked bacon bits.
All the best,
Greg Garnache
