Leek and Lemon Soup

This is based on a recipe found on the kitchn blog. We modified it, though, and I think we made a good choice.



This recipe makes about enough for 2 people, so you have to multiply it out to get more.


Ingredients

• 3 leeks
  
• 4 cloves smashed garlic
  
• 2tbsp butter
  
• 4c chicken stock (possibly a little less chicken stock plus some water) (or veg)
  
• 1/4c vermouth
  
• the zest of 1 lemon
  
• Wedges of lemon to squeeze into individual servings
  

Chop up the leeks and wash off all the sand. Heat the butter in a pan until it gets all frothy, then add the leeks and garlic and cook about 10 minutes over medium-high heat, until the leeks are starting to soften. Now add the vermouth and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for an hour to reduce. That's right, an hour. When that's done, turn off the heat and add the lemon zest. Stir to combine, and then toss everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze into individual servings - depending on how juicy the lemon is, you can squeeze about 1/8 of a lemon into each serving (or maybe a little less) to improve the flavor without overpowering it.

Thoughts: This soup is REALLY delicious. It has a unique flavor that's somewhat reminiscent of avgolemono but the leeks give it a sweeter flavor that matches the lemon nicely. The texture is weirdly velvety. And you know what? Aside from the huge amount of salt in this, it's pretty healthy. Note: as a follow up, Claire and I have made this dish like 4 times since it was posted. This is just really an unusually good recipe. And really easy.

Disaster Index: 1/10