Planned Purlhood

This is the soup I made today.  It came out quite good, so I’d thought I’d share it!

Potato soup with Leeks & Keilbasa

• 3 leeks
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/4 cup butter or olive oil
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 pound keilbasa, 1/4″ slice
• 1 cup instant potato flakes
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• black pepper to taste

1. Trim & discard dark green and root ends of leeks.  Split remainder length-wise, then slice into 1/4″ pieces.  Rinse in water to remove any sand.  Drain.
2. Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat.  When foaming has subsided, add leeks.  Sweat until limp, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add remaining vegetables.
3. Add broth and herbs.  Bring to simmer.
4. Add keilbasa, cook for at least 10 minutes, or until meat is heated through.
5. Add potato flakes, lower heat and stir well.  I let the soup sit on low heat for another 5 minutes to ensure the potatoes had hydrated fully.

Notes:  I used 3 tablespoons of Knorr roasted chicken base dissolved in two quarts of water.  I also used the medium setting on my mandoline to slice the carrots & celery.

This is the method I use to make my own mayonnaise. One can change up the recipe by adding various flavor components such as a clove of garlic, or wasabi, or change the type of acid used.

You’ll need:

Hardware:

• 1, pint sized wide-mouth canning jar, with accompanying lid & ring
• 1 immersion blender (that’s a blender on a stick. Mine’s a Braun)

Software:

• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of vinegar or lemon juice. I’ve used apple cider, rice, white wine, red wine, and champagne vinegars. I wouldn’t recommend using balsamic.
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• ~2 cups vegetable oil (optional substitute up to 1/4 cup in olive oil)

Optional ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 to 1 tsp prepared wasabi (if I use this, it’s the only add-on)

In the bottom of your jar, place everything but the oil. Use the blender for a few seconds on it, until the egg is emulsified. Then, while the blender is still in the jar, pour in the oil(s) until it reaches the fill line. Now, carefully “buzz up” the mayonnaise. Using a slow, smooth upward motion, run the blender from the bottom of the jar to the top. You may need an extra short up and down motion (or 3) to get the top most oil blended in.

That’s all there is to it.