Creamy Leek Soup

By Melusine • December 31, 2012 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: I was living in Belgium, in a rented house. The owners continued to use part of the yard as their garden. I would come home and find bags of leaf lettuce and leeks hanging on my door knob at least once a week. I wrote home in a panic asking what to do with all the leeks. This was my mother's response. I added the roasted garlic and onions for a bit more flavor. - Melusine

Serves 4

2 - 3 leeks
8 ounces cream cheese (natural, if possible)
2 cups good chicken or vegetable stock
2 cloves roasted garlic (raw really won't do here)
1 small roasted onion, finely sliced.
1 tablespoon butter

Slit the leeks in half. Slice the white and light green parts of the leeks into half-moons. Rinse under cold running water really well.
Melt the butter over medium low heat until the foaming stops. Add the leeks, tossing them around a bit to make sure they're all coated with butter. Cover, and cook them until they're soft, but not browned.
Add the roasted garlic and onion and mix in with the leeks. (The technical term I use is 'smush' the garlic and onions into the leeks.)
Add the cream cheese in chunks, stirring it until it's melted. Stir in the chicken or vegetable stock, making sure there aren't any lumps of cream cheese floating around.
Season with freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste; heat until it barely simmers and serve. Some crispy crumbled bacon can be used as a final garnish. This reheats nicely if gentle heat is used on the stove or on low power in a microwave.