Ho Hum...

Ok, I have a bit of writer’s block. I have been in Ireland for about a week now and even though I have experienced so much in the past few days that I have been here, I can’t seem to muster up enough creativity to write a decent blog post. I had a few ideas being thrown around my head though. I would write about potatoes. I just re-read that sentence and it’s been so overdone and is such a cliché of Ireland I could literally die. So in the meantime, while trying to think of some audacious food topic that will shatter your mind to pieces, I have been cooking. Going to the local Galway market, spending literally almost hours rummaging up and down the stalls and aisles, in absolute ecstasy over the fresh food available. Then I make soup. Soup. So lovely and delicate, coating your throat as it runs down and warms your tummy.

I am a lover of soup. We have an illustrious affair, soup and I, one that has its roots in my mom’s kitchen as a child. My favorite homemade dishes include some form of Asopao, a thick rice soup/gumbo style mishmash, where she would throw in the occasional shrimp, chicken, or even traditional gandules, served piping hot with an abundance of garlic bread. So for me there is this connection of home and soup, and home is where I get most of my passion and inspiration for food. So I dedicate this to several outlets that have inspired my soup frenzy: my mum, of course, and Applegates Deli, in Brentwood, where their daily selection of over 15 soups have me to be quite frank, a little homesick :/  But no worries, I have here leeks and eh hem...potatoes… and some other ingredients that create a symphony in my saucepan on those cloudy and chilly summer days In the Isle.  

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients

• 2 large or 4 small leeks, about 3 cups chopped
• 2 slabs of thick cut bacon, chopped about ½ cup
• ½ cup of onion
• 1/3 cup of green apple
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups of water
• 3-4 medium russet or golden potatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives

Directions

Using a sharp knife, halve the white part of the leeks lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water to rid the leek of any sand. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the bacon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very soft and has rendered most of its fat. Add the apple, onion, garlic, and chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Alternately, if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the creme fraiche and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with some of the snipped chives sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup and a slice of Irish Soda bread with a pat of Irish butter.

Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• ½ cup finely diced green apple
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced rashers, or 2 slabs of bacon
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 (12-oz) bottle ale such as Smithwicks Red Lager
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups extra-sharp Cheddar (preferably English; rind removed if necessary) grated

Directions:

Cook onions, carrots, apple, garlic, and bacon in butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low and sprinkle flour over vegetables, then cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add milk, broth, and beer in a stream, whisking, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Add cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly, and cook until cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes (do not boil). Discard bay leaf.