For San Juan and Grand
Counties, snowpack on the Abajo and La Sal Mountains is extremely important
during the winter months. There is much
concern that the 2017-2018 season is seeing abnormally dry conditions; drought
is a high probability at this point in time.
At the same time, the temperatures are not being helpful, being just
above or below the optimum point of producing snowfall.
At the same time,
illnesses such as pneumonia and influenza are rearing their angry heads. Roy
almost lost his own mother recently when she was hit by a double whammy, both
illnesses at the same time! Thankfully
she was taken to the hospital in time and is making a full recovery, but it was
touch and go for over a week.
Ending and beginning the
years with news items that are detrimental to our communities is not pleasant,
but this is where strength of spirit comes in.
It’s a pulling together of all residents to take care of, not just
immediate family, but friends, neighbors and, yes, even strangers just moving
into the area. It’s a testament to the
pioneer character; stand strong together in the face of adversity. So, to create a self-fulfilling prophecy,
focus on the positive and watch the miracles appear!
…and on that note, let’s
talk soup and the comfort it can bring.
Oh come now, I don’t know of anyone who, no matter how down he/she may
feel, doesn’t get a soothing smile on the face after diving (not literally
please) into a bowl of soup. Every
family has their own special recipe, a soup they swear by as the perfect fix
for “whatever ails you”. That soup for
the Cokenour clan is Potato Leek, a creamy concoction of leeks and potatoes
pureed into luscious goodness. While we
enjoy the version that has butter and cream added for a rich, silky texture; it
can be made without these two decadent ingredients. Great news for those who do not do well with
dairy products, but still want that creamy comfort.
While leeks are primarily
used in soups, this relative to the onion, and asparagus, is more versatile
than one might think. Due to its mild onion flavor, a leek can be substituted
for a regular onion; cutting it will not irritate the eyes either. Leeks have a small bulb end; and the tastiest
part is the white part which grows deep in the ground, and away from the sun's
rays. The green upper part is very fibrous, and used for making stock; or
thrown into the compost pile. Growing in the ground has the disadvantage of
having dirt caked in between the many layers of the leek, so it needs to be
thoroughly washed before use. The best way to do this is to cut the white part
either into circular sections, or cutting it up into pieces, placing it all in
a colander and washing under cool water.
The pieces can then be used in soups, quiches, casseroles, side dishes;
anything an onion can be used for, but without the tears! Sautéed in butter or olive oil, they turn
translucent and release a pleasant onion scent that is easy on the nose, and
most especially, the eyes.
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
4 leeks, white part only,
1 lb. potatoes (Yukon Gold
or Russet), peeled and cubed
1 qt. chicken or vegetable
stock
1 cup cold water
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups heavy cream
Optional: favorite herb
for garnish
Preparation:
Cut leeks into ½ inch
pieces, put into a colander, wash thoroughly with cold water to remove
grit. In a large stock/soup pot, melt
butter over medium heat. Sauté leeks
until tender, approx. 10-15 minutes. Add
potatoes, stock, water, black pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low.
Cover pot and let soup
simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. If using a hand-held blender, puree the soup
in the pot until smooth. Otherwise,
transfer the mixture, in batches, to a standard blender; puree until
smooth. Return soup to the pot.
On low heat, stir the
cream into the soup mixture. Let the
soup come up to a hot temperature, but do NOT bring to a boil. Ladle into bowls and garnish with favorite
herb (thyme, parsley, chives, etc.) if desired.
Makes 6 servings.
As promised, here is a
recipe for Potato Leek Soup, but dairy free.
I got this Weight Watchers recipe from my niece, Donna, who is a RN and
resides on Long Island in New York State.
After printing out a copy of the Weight Watchers recipe, I compared it
to my Potato Leek Soup recipe; pretty similar in nature. I cooked up a pot of this
recipe, but added crushed, dried thyme instead of using the chives as they
suggested. Wow, was pretty amazed at how good it came out; not as creamy, but
it was still thick and rich tasting; the thyme added a pleasant savory flavor.
Serving it to my hubby, he too was amazed at how good this non-dairy version
was; he equated the texture to cream of wheat, but still enjoyed it...two bowls
worth in one sitting. Donna suggested
that I mix in a little low fat or fat free sour cream if we missed the dairy;
tried it and didn't care for it at all.
Weight Watchers Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients:
64 oz. canned chicken
broth, reduced-sodium
8 medium uncooked
potatoes, peeled
3 medium uncooked leeks,
cleaned
1/8 tsp black pepper,
freshly ground
2 Tbsp. chives, minced
(optional)
Preparation:
To clean the leeks, slice
them lengthwise and then cut into one inch pieces. Put the pieces into a large
colander, rinse with cold water until you can no longer see any dirt; separate
the pieces as you rinse them. Let them
stand a few minutes to allow excess water to drain out.
Peel the potatoes and cut
them one inch in size; they will cook together more uniformly with the
leeks. Yukon Gold potatoes are yellow in
coloring and have a buttery taste; perfect for a soup that usually has butter
in it, but is now being cooked without it.
Combine the broth,
potatoes, leeks, pepper and herb, if using any, in a large stock pot or Dutch
oven; bring to a boil on high heat.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the vegetables are very soft,
about 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover and let cool slightly.
Puree at least 2 cups or
up to all of the potatoes and leeks (depending on the texture you want), with
1–2 cups of the broth in a food processor, blender or with an immersion
blender; pour the mixture back into the remaining soup, stir, and reheat. Serve
hot, or cover and refrigerate to serve cold; hot or cold, garnish with the
minced chives, if using.
Yields 1 and 1/2 cups per
serving.
This soup can be
completely or partially pureed and served hot or cold. It can be refrigerated
for up to three days, but not frozen.
Try out both recipes and
see which you enjoy the best, but most of all, have a positive and happy new
year!
Mary Cokenour
