Leek & Potato Soup with Asparagus

We didn't intend to start out the month of April with a potato dish, but we couldn't help ourselves.  We emptied out our winter pantry and found the last of the russets, a big batch of potato soup mix and, well...  you know the rest.  But don't think that we forgot it was spring!  Leeks and asparagus are everywhere and we scooped up both from the veggie market for a savory potato leek soup. We replaced half the potato with roasted asparagus and freshened it up with handfuls of herbs.  The result was hearty without being heavy and very veggie centric.  We served the soup with savory cornbread, a simple green salad and a big scoop of honey-lime strawberries. 

Objectively speaking (really), this menu is delectable.  There were lots of second helpings and happy ladies.  But, it's also labor-intensive with loads of veggies, herbs and fruit to wash and chop.  Nothing is complicated, just be sure to take this on with a full roster of cooks.  Our team of five served up the meal in about 90 minutes with a starter platter of baby carrots, celery stalks and yogurt-ranch dressing (from last Thursday's salad) to ward off hunger.  This recipe calls for a favorite trade secret-- a good quality potato soup mix + a salt-free veggie bouillon + gallon jugs of spring water.  A soup mix provides the creamy base usually achieved by blending the soup and returning it to the pot (challenging in a time-sensitive shelter kitchen).  A salt-free bouillon provides loads of flavor and offsets the high sodium content of the soup mix.  And jugs of spring water make for great flavor with no measuring.  The end result is smooth, flavorful and fast.

There are a few staging tips to give with this meal:  Get the bacon in the oven right away as you may want to use the rendered fat to grease the cornbread pan and saute the leeks.  This is certainly optional if you'd like to keep the meal lighter or vegetarian-friendly, but a little bacon fat goes a long way and adds just the right amount of richness to an otherwise light soup.  Roast your asparagus alongside your bacon as they cook for nearly the same amount of time. Scallions play triple duty today, flavoring the cornbread, garnishing the soup and gracing the salad.  Have your scallion chopper thinly slice about 5-6 bunches, separate the whites from the greens and put both out in prep bowls for all to use.  Do the same with the parsley which flavors both the soup and the salad.  Finally, if your head chef (or grocery porter) arrives 15 minutes early, you can have the ovens warming, the soup water heating and the veggies and fruit soaking to get things moving.

Happy Cooking and Happy Spring!




Leek & Potato Soup with Asparagus
Serves 50

• 3 gallons spring water
• 36 oz good quality Potato Soup mix
• 7 lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1/2" pieces
• 6 lbs spring asparagus, bottoms trimmed and stalks cut into 1" segments
• 36 oz bacon, nitrate-free
• 3/4 cup olive oil, divided (OR 1/2 cup olive oil plus1/4 cup bacon fat if desired)
• 7 lbs leeks, (about 9 large) trimmed of green tops and sliced into very thin rounds
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 6 bay leaves
• 3 oz (about 8 cubes) of salt-free vegetable bouillon (we like Rapunzel brand)
• 1 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh chives, finely minced
• 2 cups thinly sliced scallions, green parts only
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Pour 3 gallons of spring water into a covered XL stock pot and begin warming over high heat.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub potatoes clean and remove any blemishes with a small knife.  Dice potatoes into bite sized pieces.  When water reaches a roiling boil, stir in soup mix, bouillon cubes and diced potatoes. Reduce heat and allow soup to cook at a gentle boil for 15 minutes.

While soup is cooking, arrange bacon in a single layer on sheet pans.  Bake for 10 minutes until most of the bacon fat has been rendered.  Remove pans from oven and carefully pour off fat into a metal bowl, reserving to grease the cornbread pan and saute the leeks.  Flip bacon strips over and bake for an additional 5 minutes until extremely crisp.  Remove from oven and pour off any remaining fat. Allow strips to cool completely before breaking into bits to garnish the soup.

While bacon is cooking, toss asparagus in a large bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for 15 minutes until crisp tender and set aside.

While asparagus is roasting and soup base is cooking, warm remaining 1/4 cup olive oil plus 1/4 cup bacon fat over medium heat in an XL saute pan, being careful not to burn. Add leeks to pan and saute until translucent, about 12-15 minutes.  Add garlic to pan and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

To finish soup, transfer cooked leeks and asparagus to soup pot.  Stir in parsley and chives and taste for flavor, seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. Turn off heat and allow soup to sit for about 5 minutes.  Serve hot and garnish bowls with bacon bits and scallions. 








Cheddar Scallion Cornbread
Makes (2) 8x13 pans or one full-size hotel pan, about 40 slices

• 3 cups unbleached white flour
• 3 cups yellow cornmeal
• 3 TBS baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or melted butter)
• 1/3 cup agave syrup (or 1/2 cup honey)
• 3 cups aged sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4" cubes
• 2 cups thinly sliced scallions, white parts only
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions, green parts only
• 2 TBS reserved bacon fat or olive oil for greasing pan

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. 

Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and sea salt in an XL mixing bowl.  Push dry ingredients to the sides of the bowl and create a crater in the center of the mixture.  In the crater, combine the eggs, milk, olive oil and honey.  With a large wooden spoon slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, being careful not to overwork the mixture as this will toughen the bread.  Once mixed, gently fold in cheese and white scallions.

With a basting brush, lightly grease (2) 8x13 baking pans (or a single shallow hotel pan) with the reserved bacon fat (or olive oil).  Preheat the greased pans in the oven for about 5 minutes before adding the cornbread mixture.  This will ensure a good crust.

Carefully remove the preheated pans from the oven.  Immediately pour batter into the hot pans and top with remaining green scallions.  Return to oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until crusty brown and cooked through.








Simple Greens with Lemon and Olive Oil
Serves 40 as a side salad

• 1 lb mixed baby salad greens, organic if possible
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions, green parts only
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions, white parts only
• 1/2" cup minced fresh parsley
• 4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 4 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (optional)
• sea salt and freshly grated pepper to taste

Toss greens, scallions and parsley in an XL bowl to combine.

To make the dressing, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined.

About ten minutes before serving dinner, lightly dress greens, toss with the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve along side soup and cornbread and enjoy!








Strawberries with Honey and Lime
Serves 40 as a light dessert

• 8 lbs whole fresh strawberries
• 6 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup honey

Soak strawberries for ten minutes in cold water to loosen dirt.  Pick over and remove any berries with mold.

Trim the tops from the berries and cut the berries in half.  Place cut berries in an XL mixing bowl.

Gently toss berries with lime juice and honey and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to marinate (and as long as an hour).  Chill while berries are resting.  Serve alone or a la mode.