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leeks extra-virgin olive oil bay leaf potatoes salt chicken stock garlic Bread bacon chives crusty bread
Viewed: 15 - Published at: 8 years agoIngredients
- 4 leeks, trimmed of tough tops, leave 3 to 4 inches of green on white of leek
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
- salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 6 cups good quality chicken stock (I use 4 c. stock, 2 c. water)
- 2 large garlic cloves, skin removed
- 4 slices whole grain French bread, cut into small pieces
- 13 lb thick slab bacon, 1 (1/2-inch)
- chives, sliced thin for garnish
- crusty bread (make your favorite recipe in your bread machine, I make the dough in the machine and transfer to a b)
Method
- Cut leeks in half lengthwise and slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
- Place leeks in a colander.
- Separate sliced leeks under cold running water and clean them.
- Drain well.
- Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, bay leaf and leeks.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Peel potatoes and thinly slice them, adding them to soup pot as you go.
- Season potatoes with a little salt, add chicken stock (and water if you're using it) to soup pot.
- Cover soup and bring to a boil.
- Uncover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are very tender.
- Break up potatoes to slightly thicken soup.
- Remove bay leaf.
- While soup simmers, rub the inside of a large mixing bowl with the cracked garlic.
- Slice the bread into small cubes.
- Add the bread to the bowl, drizzle generously with olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper.
- Toss the bread in the bowl to completely coat with oil, and pour onto a baking sheet in 1 layer.
- Place in the oven and toast until golden, about 6 or 8 minutes.
- While croutons bake, cut slab bacon into 1/4-inch slices, making fat matchstick shapes (or regular sliced bacon, cut into quarter inch pieces.)
- Cook bacon in small nonstick pan over medium high heat.
- Remove rendered bacon to paper towels.
- To serve soup, ladle into bowls and top with bacon, croutons, chives and cracked pepper.
- Serve with crusty bread on the side.
