Potato Leek Soup with Chicken

A while back, I saw an intriguing recipe for potato leek soup, so I bought some leeks a few days ago.  Not having ever worked with them before, I searched the internet and found a video showing which parts to use for what and how to clean them and cut them up.  

Leeks are grown in sandy soil and are really dirty.  If you look between the leaves of the tops, you'll see lots of black sand and dirt packed in there!  Following the video's directions, I cut off the dark green tops, rinsed them off, and froze them to use next time I make broth.  I cut off the tiny roots and threw them away.  The remaining part, the white and pale green part, had to be sliced up and cleaned.

The video showed cutting the leek lengthwise, slicing it, putting the slices into a bowl of cold water, and swishing them around.  The slices of leeks float on top of the water, and the sand and dirt sink to the bottom of the bowl.  You scoop the leeks out and put them in a strainer/colander and rinse them.  You don't want to just pour the bowl of water and leeks through the strainer/colander because then the dirt will be reintroduced into the leeks!  There was a LOAD of black sand in the bottom of the bowl when I was done swishing the sliced leeks around.  That simple process did a great job!

Anyway, this was an easy, tasty soup, and I learned about leeks - a bonus!  You could garnish the soup with sliced scallions if you want to make it pretty, but I don't usually go to those lengths.  I did, however, make garlic bread, using french bread made with the recipe in the previous post - YUM!

Potato Leek Soup with Chicken

4 slices bacon, chopped
2 large leeks, sliced
4 large potatoes, cubed
1 t dried thyme
2 t salt
1 t pepper
48 oz chicken broth
1 1/2 lb shredded cooked chicken breast
1 c heavy cream

In a 4-quart pan, cook bacon until crisp.  Add leeks and cook until soft, but not browned.  Add potatoes, seasonings, and broth.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.  

Puree the mixture, using either a blender (do it in batches, not filling the pitcher past half full) or an immersion/stick blender directly in the pan.  With the mixture in the pan, add cream and chicken, heat to a simmer, and serve.