It’s really been cold here at Serendipity Farmhouse and I need a quick and easy winter soup to keep me warm. So I wondered to myself, “What would Jacques Pépin do?” – Well, in his cookbook More Fast Food My Way, he says,
“Soups are foremost dishes in my life, especially in winter.”
Hi, Chef Blondie here!
Immediately after Jacques declares his fondness for winter soups, he goes on to introduce one of his favorites – an amazingly simple and satisfying Cream of Leek and Mushroom Soup.
It’s truly a great dish. And we in the SFH Test Kitchen are going to share it with you today.
Quick and Easy Winter Soup – Preparation Tip
Jacques says that leeks are essential as a basic ingredient for many of his simple soups. He always keeps some on hand. He also reminisces about how his mother and his aunt often made several variations of leek and potato soup, adding mushrooms or other ingredients.
As a “girl raised in the South” I wasn’t very familiar with leeks. It was fascinating for me to learn how Jacques cleans and prepares this tasty member of the onion family. After watching Jacques prepare leeks in several videos, I learned quite a bit about his technique. For example, he uses a paring knife to trim the leek, but he switches to a chef’s knife to do the slicing. – So here’s a step-by-step view of how to prepare leeks for this soup.
Step 1 – Trim the Leek
Slice off the very bottom portion of the leek. Then trim off and discard most of the green outside leaves from the leeks. Reserve the light green leaves from the center.
Step 2 – Cut the Leek into Quarters
Cut the leeks lengthwise into quarters. If it is a large leek, you can slice it lengthwise one or two more times. Take care in holding the end of the leek firmly so that it doesn’t slip while slicing.
Step 3 – Wash the Leeks
Leeks can be very dirty. There is often a great deal of grit between the leaves. That’s why it’s necessary to wash the leaves thoroughly under cool water to remove any dirt or sand.
Step 4 – Slice the Leeks
After washing, slice the leaves thinly with a chef’s knife. Cut the butt end of the leek into halves and slice. One large leek or two smaller leeks will give you about 2 cups when sliced.
Cook a Quick and Easy Winter Soup – Jacques’s Way
Now that we’ve learned Jacques’s technique for preparing leeks for a quick and easy winter soup, here’s his recipe as adapted and tested by the SFH Test Kitchen. The original recipe appears on page 36 of the cookbook Jacques Pépin More Fast Food My Way.
Happy Cooking!!
Quick & Easy Cream of Leek and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- - 2 medium leeks
- - 6 white mushrooms
- - 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- - 2 cups chicken stock homemade, or low-salt canned chicken broth
- - 2 cups water
- - ½ teaspoon salt
- - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- - 1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
- - 1½ cups whole milk plus more if needed
- - Sprigs fresh chervil, for garnish
Instructions
- Remove and discard most of the green outside leaves from the leeks, reserving the light green leaves from the center. Cut the leeks lengthwise into fourths and wash the leaves thoroughly under cool water to remove any dirt or sand. Slice thinly. You should have about 2 cups.
- Wash the mushrooms. Slice them, stack the slices, and either cut them into thin strips or chop them coarsely.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook, or “sweat,” the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle the potato flakes on top and mix them in with a whisk to prevent lumping. Bring to a boil and cover. (The soup can be made to this point a few hours ahead. It will thicken a lot as it sits.)
- At serving time, add the milk and return to a boil. If the soup is still too thick, stir in enough additional milk to thin it to your liking.
- Garnish with chervil sprigs and serve. You can substitute with parsley, basil, or chives. A little bit of a grated Swiss cheese can also be added.