Two soups

One of my favorite ways to preserve vegetables is to make them into soups.  I find soups convenient for several reasons:  they allow me to use many combinations of different vegetables, when I make a batch I can hold out a bit for dinner that night, and the rest is easily frozen.  It will be really nice later in the winter to pull it out of the freezer and make a quick and easy dinner.  This preservation Monday I have the last of the fresh tomatoes that were brought in green from the garden to ripen in the windowsills.  I also have some potatoes, onions, and garlic that were harvested last month and some leeks fresh from the fall garden.  I will make two of my favorite soups:  tomato and creamy potato leek.  I turned on some music and gathered the ingredients.

For the tomato soup:

1 Tbsp sunflower oil
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
6 medium tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
3 stalks celery
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter, softened
milk or cream
salt and pepper
dried basil


Begin by mincing the garlic and chopping the carrot, onion, and celery.  Core the tomatoes and remove any blemishes, but don't worry about removing the skins.  Heat the oil in your soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery then season with the salt, pepper, and basil.  Cook for two minutes and then add the garlic.  Continue to stir over medium-high until the vegetables begin to soften and the onion begins to turn translucent.  Add the tomatoes whole, but with their cores removed, then add the chicken or vegetable broth.  If you don't have broth you can use water here, but the soup won't be quite as flavorful.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes.  As the tomatoes begin to cook the skins will slip off and you can easily remove them with tongs or a slotted spoon as they float to the surface.   My chickens love to eat the skins.

While your soup is simmering, make a beurre manie by pinching the softened butter and the flour together with your fingers in a small bowl until it resembles a rough paste.  This is an easy way to thicken any soup or sauce without making it lumpy.  When the soup has simmered 10-12 minutes, remove from heat and use an emulsion blender or regular blender to puree the soup.  You will want to have all the tomato skins removed before this step, since they won't break down well.  Return it to the stove over medium-low and add the beurre manie.  Stir and allow to simmer another 5-7 minutes to cook the flour.  If you are freezing the soup immediately, remove from heat and allow to cool.  Then freeze in dinner-sized portions.  To eat right away or when reheating, add as much milk or cream as needed to reach desired creaminess.  I think it's best served with a grilled cheese on good, crusty bread.

 For the Creamy Potato Leek Soup:

8-10 leeks
8 small white potatoes
two cloves garlic
2 slices bacon
3 cups chicken broth
splash of white wine
milk or cream
salt and pepper

Trim the roots and tops from the leeks and clean them well.  Slice them in small rings.  Peel and quarter the potatoes and mince the garlic.  We grew Nikola white potatoes and Kennebunk red potatoes this season since they both grow well in my region and both store well.  I used the Nikola white potatoes for this soup.   Heat up a soup pot over medium-high heat and add the slices of bacon.  Cook until each side is browned then remove the bacon and set aside for later.  Leave the bacon drippings in your pot and add the cleaned, sliced leeks along with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Keep in mind that your bacon is already salty, so you won't need to add quite as much salt.  Cook 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring to prevent the leeks from burning.  Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 or 3 minutes.  Add a splash of white wine to free up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot then add the chicken broth and the potatoes.  Boil 12 minutes or until potatoes are very soft. 
Remove from heat and use a regular or emulsion blender to puree until it is smooth.  If you wish to freeze now, add the crumbled bacon and freeze it or add enough milk or cream until desired creaminess is achieved.