Cooking meals with seasonal vegetables is a great way to pack in the flavour and nutrients into your meals. Potatoes, leeks and apples are abundant during the autumn harvest and into winter. This fat free vegan soup is a great way to combine these vegetables and fruit in a hearty winter soup.
Leeks are a member of the Allium vegetable family and could be described as a giant scallion as they have a long, white stalk that grows into darker green leaves. Leeks work well in this soup as they impart a mild and sweet flavor that compliments potatoes well.
Choose a leek that is no more than one inch in diameter, firm and straight with dark green leaves and a long white stalk, or stem. The thicker the leek, the more stringy and tough the vegetable will be.
This recipe adds a couple of tart Granny Smith cooking apples to bring another dimension to the traditional soup. A hint of nutmeg balances the tartness of the apples, while the thyme and bay leaf help the soup maintain a hearty, earthy flavour.
Potato Leek and Apple Soup
4 main-dish servings or 8 side-dish servings
Ingredients
- 2 medium leeks, chopped; tender, white parts only
- 1 small onion
- 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
- 1 sweet apple (like Gala or Ambrosia), chopped
- 3 cups of chopped potato with skin (Yukon Gold recommended)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4-5 cups of vegetable stock
- 1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme (1/2 T if using fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmegs
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- salt to taste
Directions
- Chop leeks, onion, apples, red pepper.
- In a large bowl, cover the chopped leeks with water and break the rings apart with your hands to clean the dirt between the layers of the leek. Drain the water and rinse once or twice more as needed.
- In a large pot, cook onions in their own moisture on medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of vegetable stock if needed.
- Add leeks and cook to tenderize leeks, 1-2 minutes.
- Add potato, apples and bay leaves and stir for 1 minute.
- Add just enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.??
- Add chopped red pepper and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- With an immersion blender, blend soup until reaches desired creaminess.
- Add chili pepper, minced garlic and other spices, stir to mix well and bring soup to simmer. Add more vegetable stock if desired. Let soup simmer for five minutes to develop flavours.
- Season with salt/pepper to taste.
Serve with warm homemade flaxseed crackers or a crusty bread.
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