Rosemary Potato-Leek Soup: Comfort on a "Cold" Night for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

It's been a "cold" and windy here the past couple of weeks. Of course cold in Hawaii means that the temperatures hit the low sixties at night--so it's all relative. But, it does make it a particularly good time for thick homey soups. I wanted something simple and comforting, so I put together a simple potato-leek soup, enhanced with aromatic rosemary. This one is dairy-free and vegan, but still rich and creamy--perfect for a cool night. 

Rosemary Potato-Leek Soup
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 6 Servings)

1 Tbsp non-dairy butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, white & light green parts, chopped small
1 medium sweet onion, chopped small
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely (or about 1/2 tsp dried)
1 bay leaf
about 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped to about 3/4-inch cubes
1 quart vegetable broth (low sodium)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Heat non-dairy butter and oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks, onion and saute about 5 minutes, until softened. Add rosemary, bay leaf, chopped potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes--until potatoes are cooked. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Leave soup brothy or blend part of it (I pureed about 2 cups) until smooth using a blender or immersion blender. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Notes/Results: Simple and full of flavor, potato soup is the ultimate comfort food. The store only had one large leek, so I added in a sweet Maui onion. This soup is equally good left brothy, but pureeing part of it definitely ups the creamy comfort factor. If you aren't a rosemary fan, thyme or marjoram would be a good substitute. I would make this again.

 
We have some wonderful soups and a salad waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen--let's take a look.

Janet of The Taste Space has two soups to share this week. This pretty Carrot Ginger Lime Soup with Sweet Potato Hummus. Janet says, "In a land of plenty (and deficiency), you become creative. We had run out of roasted sweet potatoes but still wanted to make this carrot ginger lime soup. Of course, the reason we ran out of sweet potatoes is because I put them in the sweet potato hummus. So why not use the sweet potato hummus instead of the sweet potato?"

Janet's second soup is this Lemon-Ginger Split Pea Soup with Toasted Coriander. She says, "Have some split peas but don’t know what to do? Try this soup.  I really like split peas, but less eager to cook with them due to their long cooking time. Even with soaking (or not), I find they take a while to cook, sometimes longer than an hour and a half. It is worth it, though."

Tigerfish of Teczcape - An Escape to Food is here with Chinese Broccoli Soup and says, "It is few basic ingredients but the smokiness of toasted ikan bilis and pan-fried tofu definitely adds flavor depth to the soup (stock made from organic soy beans and toasted ikan bilis -dried anchovies). And the light-tasting notes of the soup did not overshadow the mild mustardy taste of Gai Lan in any way. This can be a quick soup to put together if you are short on time and have ready home-made stock on hand."

Elizabeth from The Law Student's Cookbook brings Green Tea Soup and says, "I was skeptical of this dish when I first started. But I was intrigued by this recipe from Sunset magazine. The idea of my broth being green tea seemed so odd, but.. I had to try it! I ended up adding some soy sauce to the broth because I felt like it needed a salt element to it. The addition of the soy sauce was perfect. I was so full after this bowl of soup.

Join me in welcoming a new face to Souper Sundays, Wendy of VeggieYogi who brings a soupy Curry-Pumpkin Lentils and Chickpeas. She says, "This is the perfect recipe for a winter day! I invented it on New Year’s Eve morning when the weather forecast was calling for heavy snow all day. I figured it was the perfect day to hunker down and throw a bunch of stuff in the crockpot to cook." Welcome Wendy!

Ana of Sweet Almond Tree is here with soothing Greek Trahana Soup and says, "I just got over a bad case of the flu, yes, it’s been making the rounds and so I was one of its victims.  When I felt like eating I wanted nothing else but hot, nourishing soup, and nothing would do but to have my mother’s Trahana soup.  I like its milky, somewhat sour flavor and its thick, creamy consistency.  Each spoonful I took felt like a soothing balm for my achy throat."

Finally our salad this week comes from Stash at Simple Kitchen Seasons, this Warm Salad with Egg and Pancetta (Insalata Uovo e Carne Secca). Stash says, "If you can’t find pancetta, substitute unsmoked bacon instead. You can use this dressing for any salad, not just the one in this recipe. Often, I’ll turn to this particular dressing if I’m not in the mood for a lemon juice-based vinaigrette (extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper, herbs)." 

Thanks to everyone who joined in this week. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on the sidebar for all of the details. 

Have a happy, healthy week!