California Pizza Kitchen Potato Leek Soup

Description

This is from the restaurant chain california pizza kitchen. I had to make my own because they keep changing their menu and taking this soup off of it altogether. What a shame, now i have to make a whole pot and eat it until i'm guilty of glutony. I like the caramelized leeks because they lend a lot of flavor to the soup. Once i accidentally over caramelized it (very brown), i thought it made the soup even better but maybe it's because i am used to burnt food.

Ingredients

• Leek
• Baking Potato
• Kosher Salt
• Dried Oregano
• Dried Thyme
• Ground Black Pepper
• Bay Leaf
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Soy Sauce
• Chicken Broth
• Half-and-half
• Whipping Cream
• Green Onions

Instructions

1. Cut off roots and trim dark green tops from leeks
2. Discard any tough outer leaves
3. Cut each leek lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1 / 4-inch slices
4. Rinse leeks thoroughly in large bowl of cold water, swishing to remove sand
5. Transfer leeks to colander to drain, leaving sand in bottom of bowl
6. Repeat process, changing water several times, until all sand is removed
7. In 4-quart saucepan, combine potatoes, salt, oregano, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, half of leeks, and 3 cups water
8. Cover and heat to boiling over high heat
9. Reduce heat to low
10. Cook 5 minutes or until potatoes are very tender
11. Discard bay leaf
12. Meanwhile, in nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot
13. Add remaining leeks and cook 10 to 12 minutes or until leeks are tender, stirring frequently
14. Stir in soy sauce and cook 1 to 2 minutes or just until leeks are evenly browned, stirring constantly
15. Transfer leek mixture to saucepan with potato mixture
16. Stir in broth
17. In batches, ladle potato mixture into blender
18. Cover, with center part of cover removed to allow steam to escape, and blend until pureed
19. Pour puree into large bowl
20. Repeat with remaining mixture
21. Return puree to same saucepan
22. Stir in half-and-half and heavy cream
23. Heat soup over low heat just until heated through, stirring occasionally
24. Serve soup hot, or cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours to serve chilled later
25. Sprinkle soup with sliced green onion to serve