Leek and onion soup with croutons and pepato cheese (Romano with peppercorns). Photo and recipe courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
May 2011 |
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Leek Soup Recipe
A Delicious Leek & Onion Soup
Introduction
Leeks are a member of the onion species, Allium, which also includes ramps (wild leeks), shallots, garlic and chives.
The edible portions of the leek are the white onion base and light green stalk; the bitter dark green ends are usually discarded. If you don’t want to use the light green portion in a particular recipe, you can add it to salads and stocks.
All about leeks.
About Pepato Cheese
This recipe uses pepato cheese, a Romano-style hard cheese. Sicilians started the tradition of adding black peppercorns to Romano, creating pepato, which means peppery in Italian. Because the cheese moistens and mellows the peppercorns, the flavor is piquant but not as intense as might be expected.
Leek Soup Recipe
Served as a first course or more casually with a sandwich, this recipe is a delight for onion lovers. It is served with toasted sourdough croutons covered with pepato cheese or Romano.
Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound leeks (trim and discard the dark green tops;
save the light green portion)
- 4 sweet onions such as Vidalia, peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-1/2 cups amber beer (ale) or 1-1/2 cups chicken stock
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 8 thin slices sour dough bread, lightly toasted
(if you can’t find a narrow sourdough appropriate for croutons, use a
regular or whole wheat baguette)
- 4 thin slices pepato cheese (substitute Romano cheese)
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Trim the leeks. Slice the white portion of the leeks and toss with the Vidalia onion slices. Reserve some sliced light green leek leaves/stalks for garnish.
- In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and add butter until butter foam subsides. Add the onions and leeks and cook over low heat until onions are soft and begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add the beer (or the 1-1/2 cups chicken stock) and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add the 5 cups of stock and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- Ladle half the soup, a little at a time, into a blender or food processor and purée. Combine the puréed soup with the simmered soup and heat through.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with bread slices. Place the pepato slices on top of the bread slices and serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. All other materials
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