Recipe – Creamy Potato Leek Soup (Vegan, Vegetarian and Dairy-Free) from Johanna Sawer

Thank you Johanna for sending me this wonderful family recipe, including your experience of cooking together. It is a perfect example of how we can connect and make cherished memories – not only in these challenging times of a global pandemic, but everyday!

My husband and I met at work, about 25 years ago – at Earls Restaurant. We both hadn’t had much experience in the food industry before we were hired there, but the training program at Earls basically transformed both of us into foodies for life.  I think because of that early experience, we both developed a love being in the kitchen – but we have very different styles of cooking, and when we were first married and sharing a kitchen together for the first time, we had some growing pains working together on recipes.

He (thanks to his cook training) stuck to the recipe no matter what. Everything in the recipe had to be exact, from the brand of salt to the 1/8th of a teaspoon measurement. There are good sides to this, like everything he makes is always good – but there is never any room for experimenting or substitutions. When I cook, I  make something out of whatever I have. If I don’t have sour cream, I’ll use Greek yoghurt. If I don’t have eggs, I’ll use baking soda and a tiny bit of vinegar. If the recipe calls for an 1/8th of a tsp, I just use my fingers and pinch. You get the idea, and as the years went by, we learned to co-exist and cook together.

This soup, is one of our favorites. Something about the taste of potato and leek is irresistible. I think it reminds him of his Grandpa, who became a die-hard foodie after he lost his wife to cancer at a young age. He never remarried, but cooked and cooked and cooked and COOKED!. This recipe is taken from one of his, and my husband would never stray from the recipe.  When we make this soup, he’s got all of us in the kitchen chopping, stirring, tasting, roasting, and blending. We each have a “station” – and it really opens up the family-friendly banter competition. I love that we get time with the kids off of their devices (which is increasingly difficult during Covid!)

Then, about 5 years ago, one of our children developed a dairy sensitivity.  We were plunged into the world of dairy-free yogurt, nut milks, and stopped putting cheese on everything. She couldn’t eat cream-based soups either so my husband was forced to substitute the dairy for coconut milk! And he did! Voila! It is still amazing, and we don’t even follow the recipe anymore! It has been changed to fit our family, and I think Grandpa would be okay with that. We definitely love it, and I hope you do too!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2–3 large leeks about 5 cups chopped

4 cloves garlic crushed

2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed

6 cups vegetable broth regular sodium

½ tsp. thyme dried

½ tsp. tarragon dried

1 ¼ cup coconut milk canned, full-fat

1 ½ – 2 tsp. salt to taste

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

Prepare leeks by thinly cutting and cleaning thoroughly.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Add olive oil and leeks to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Sauté leeks for 8-10 minutes or until they become soft and tender.

Add crushed garlic and continue sautéing for 1 minute.

Pour vegetable broth into the post, making sure to scrape the bottom to loosen up any loose bits.

Add potatoes, dried herbs, milk, and salt.

Bring contents to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover pot with a lid.

Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Turn off heat and blend soup until creamy using a handheld immersion blender.*

Stir in lemon juice and add additional salt, to taste.

Serve soup with a toasted baguette, croutons, or crackers and enjoy!