Potato Leek Asparagus Soup #recipe @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Always on the hunt for a decent low-sodium soup, I decided to try a potato leek version. Lately I've been using Daily Pantry brand organic low-sodium chicken broth, and it's pretty good--more flavor than some of the others. I also planned to add celery, thyme, garlic and two bay leaves for extra zip. 

who could resist this?

And then John showed up with a lovely bunch of asparagus, so I took the thinnest stalks and sautéed them in a little more butter, to be sprinkled on the top with chopped chives. I'm not going to lie, the soup would be better with a half teaspoon of salt stirred in. But it was pretty darn good as is. And the folks who aren't worried about sodium can add salt at the table.

Ingredients

Three leeks
One clove garlic
Three stalks celery
Three large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
One large box good quality low-sodium chicken broth
Four ounces unsalted butter
Two sprigs of fresh thyme
Two bay leaves
4-6 stalks tender asparagus
Heavy cream
Fresh chives
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Trim the leeks so you are working only with the white and palest green parts. Cut them in half lengthwise and wash them well, as there is nothing worse then grit in your soup. (Or suit, as my dictation program insisted. And that's probably true!) Chop the leeks along with the celery, and one or more cloves of garlic. Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the chopped vegetables. When everything is well wilted, add the stock along with the chunks of peeled potato, the bay leaves, and the thyme.
Simmer until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Then use your immersion blender to to purée the cooked mixture. You may leave some chunky sections if you like that texture. Add about a half cup heavy cream and stir that in. 

soup is so hard to photograph!

Serve the soup with the sautéed asparagus and chopped chives and freshly ground pepper on top.

We had a salad on the side, but you couldn't go wrong with a nice plate of biscuits or some crusty peasant bread.

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Leek, Asparagus, and Potato Soup #recipe @Lucyburdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I bring you more treasures of the spring season today! We are still in the thick of our asparagus crop in Connecticut, but if you don't have any, the local market will provide.

We grew a lot of leeks last year, and abandoned the ones we couldn't eat to winter over in the garden as we fled to Key West. Once the snow melted, we were left with a happy surprise--most of them were still standing, and quite delicious.

This is an easy soup, nothing fancy except for good ingredients. We had it for a Sunday supper along with a green salad and a biscuit.

Ingredients  

4 small leeks, cleaned and sliced
8 to 10 stalks fresh asparagus
5 to 6 small red potatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter


Sliced leeks finely. Slice the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. Wash the potatoes and cut them in quarters. 

Melt the butter in a small frying pan and sauté, first the leeks, then the asparagus.


Simmer the potatoes in the chicken broth until they are tender. Add half the leek and asparagus sauté to the potatoes and using an immersion blender or food processor, whirl the vegetables until creamed. Stir in the sour cream and add milk as needed until the soup is the consistency you prefer. 

Salt and pepper to taste, and rewarm. Serve the soup with the remaining leek and asparagus saute on top as garnish.

When she is not blogging and cooking, Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mysteries.

Fatal Reservations, the sixth book in the series, will be in bookstores on July 7, but you can certainly order it now!