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How to Make the Best Potato Leek Soup Recipe
Adding wine to potato soup gives it a great flavor. The wine will sizzle in the pan and you can imagine how wonderful the kitchen is going to smell when you make this. For an extra sizzle, turn the heat up a little just before adding the wine, and then turn it back down when the wine has finished reducing.
Feel free to add three quarters of a cup of heavy cream to this potato soup recipe for a creamy finish. You can also liquidize the soup in the blender, or in a food processor, if you want a creamy smooth soup but this is optional. Some people like creamy potato soup recipes and others enjoy the texture of the chopped vegetables in the soup.
This potato soup recipe with wine will freeze so make the whole amount, even if you are not feeding so many people. You could always double it too, if you want to make freezer soup. Use a dry white wine for this potato soup recipe. If you prefer to use sherry, pick a dry variety.
Perfect Potato Soup with Garlic and White Wine
Ingredients -
2 potatoes
6 trimmed leeks
1 cup dry white wine
4 cloves garlic
2 pints chicken stock
2 peeled, chopped carrots
Fresh parsley or chives, to garnish
2 ˝ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ˝ tablespoons butter
1 big red onion or 2 small ones
Salt and black pepper
Preparation:
Rinse the leeks. Chop the onion and leeks finely. Peel and finely cube the potatoes. Peel and chop the garlic.
If you are using bouillon cubes to make the stock, dissolve them in hot water.
Melt the butter with the oil in a pan over a moderate heat. Sauté the leeks and onions for a few minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the wine and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, carrots, garlic, and stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook the potato soup recipe for 25 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes in cold water. Taste the soup, then add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Warm the soup back up for 2 minutes. Divide the soup between 6 or 8 warmed bowls and garnish with the chopped herbs.
(Serves 6 as an Entree or 8 as an Appetizer)
Wine Suggestion:
Which Wine to Serve with Potato Leek Soup Recipe
The best California wine to match with this delicious potato soup recipe would be a Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc. Chenin Blanc is always good with vegetable dishes and Chardonnay is a versatile wine. Whichever one you choose, you can use some in the recipe. The white wine gives this potato soup a sophisticated finish.
Photo Description:
This colorful and appetizing soup is healthy and warming. Featuring nutritious ingredients like carrots, garlic, potatoes and onion, this potato soup recipe also boasts the generous addition of white wine, which enhances its overall flavor and makes it a suitable dish for either an appetizer or an entree. The fact that this potato soup recipe freezes well also means you can freeze it in separate portions and thaw it out easily on a chilly evening when you do not feel like cooking. Just warm it up in a pan over a moderate heat, stirring frequently, until it is hot, and then serve with crusty bread and butter.
Why Chardonnay is So Popular
Chardonnay is one of the most famous wines to come out of California and it is a suggested wine to accompany many dishes, from roast chicken to seafood appetizers and even a potato leek soup recipe. Chardonnay is a richly flavored wine, which is perhaps the main reason for its popularity. The best Chardonnays are claimed to come from Russian River Valley, Monterey County, Carneros, Santa Barbara, Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Maria County.
It is hard to describe the aroma and flavor. It smells quite delicate and when you take a sniff, you might identify hints of peaches, lemons, tropical fruits, or apples. Chardonnay can have a strong oak flavor if the wine is aged in new barrels or fermented in them, or if it is left in seasoned ones for too long. A lot of Chardonnays have a mild oak flavor, which suits the overall taste of the wine. Because Chardonnay is such a delicate grape, if you introduce another type of grape into the wine when it ferments, you probably will not be able to taste the Chardonnay when it is ready, even if the wine is 90% Chardonnay. It would taste just as nice with your easy potato soup recipe though.
Chardonnay grapes are susceptible to disease and they are fragile, small, and thin-skinned. They also oxidize easily so growing them can be tricky. The wine is more difficult to handle between harvest and bottling than many other grape varietals. The higher production costs for barrel treatments, the difficulties in growing and processing the grapes and the huge demand for Chardonnay-based wines is one reason for the comparatively higher price.
French vs. Californian Chardonnay
Chablis, the French wine, is made only with Chardonnay grapes. This makes the wine very crisp-tasting. The grape is also used in other French wines and some can be described as buttery or fleshy. It is used sometimes to make Champagne. In France, vineyards are often planted with both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines and there is often confusion between the two. Chardonnay from California is different to French Chardonnay wines and it is easy to recognize because of its perfect acid to sugar balance, smooth feeling in the mouth and full body. The reason why Chardonnay from California is so different to the French version is that differences in climate, vineyard practices, and soil affect the end flavor of the wine dramatically. In general though, any Chardonnay will be nice with a homemade potato soup recipe because it is so versatile.
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