“Red Potato & Leek Soup” & “Garlic Asiago Bread” As We Battle The Blizzard Of 2015

Welcome to “Wordless Tuesday!” Where there are no stories just a fabulous and delicious recipe or two….. 

One of my best friends, Dani who lives upstate made this recipe, “Red Potato & Leek Soup.” She shared her delicious dish with me and it is really not hard to prepare. She used a Vita mix to puree the soup. If you do not have a Vita mix, you can use your blender. Snow, cold, and wind…Blizzard conditions are here on Long Island…Two perfect recipes for staying in for a few days. Enjoy! Plus, who ever is in line of this Blizzard, please be safe and keep warm..

 


                                          “Red Potato & Leek Soup”

Serves: 2-4 people

Ingredients:
7 red potatoes peeled and diced small
3 leeks cleaned and chopped (used the white part & 3 inches of the green part)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
6 cups of water or chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large soup pot, at medium heat add the butter, olive oil, and the garlic. Now add in the leeks and onion, sauté for about 5 minutes until you can smell them a bit. Add in the potatoes and continue to sauté. Cook until the potatoes are tender and cooked. (The bottom of the potatoes crisped a bit so when added to the 6 cups of water/stock the potatoes had that yummy crispy part, which added to the flavor)

When potatoes, leeks, and onions are cooked, add salt and pepper to taste. Next puree half in a blender until creamy, and add it back to the pan. (Do not over blend) So you now have half smooth and the rest is whole pieces. To serve, pour the smooth part in a bowl first, and now add the whole potatoes in the center and garnish with a few scallions. It tastes like a baked potato!

*Vegetarian version: use vegetable stock instead of chicken broth

**Vegan version: make as vegetarian; only use olive oil and do not add any dairy

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“Garlic Asiago Bread”

You can’t have “Red Potato & Leek Soup” without a chunk of bread. This homemade bread has chunks of cheese and fabulous garlic taste. Perfect along side of a good tasty soup.

Bake: 20 min. & cooling
Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups warm water (110°F to 115°F)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
7 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
3 to 3-1/4 cups bread flour
1 cup cubed Asiago cheese 

Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, garlic, sugar, salt, vinegar and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Stir in cheese.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; divide in half. Shape into 5-in.-round loaves. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

For egg wash, in a small bowl, combine egg and water. Brush over loaves. Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. 

Yield: 2 loaves (10 wedges each).

Till Next Time………

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