Farmer Leeks

I’ve been waiting and waiting for leeks in the CSA box.  I know we’ve received them in the past, and I have been planning to make this soup for weeks and weeks.  My house has also been relying on chickpeas lately as a vegetarian protein source all summer long, so I’ve been stockpiling them (canned and dried) like crazy.  The best part of the leek showing up when it did was the opportunity I had to use up the rest of a bag of wilting power greens: baby kale, chard, and spinach.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chickpea-leek-spinach-soup/#page=0

Chickpea, Leek & Spinach Soup

Any tender green could take the place of the spinach. Try baby kale, watercress, or even dandelion greens.

• Makes: 4 servings
• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Yields: 8 cups
• Total Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced, washed, and drained
• 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable stock or broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 lemon, juiced (3 tablespoons)
• 2 5 ounce packages baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a 4-qt. pot heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until very tender but not browned (reduce heat if leeks begin to brown). Stir in chickpeas and garlic. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add stock and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Add lemon juice. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Gradually stir in the spinach and thyme. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving:  265 cal, 10 g fat (1 g sat. fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, 5 g monounsaturated fat), 0 mg chol, 856 mg sodium, 33 g carb, 9 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 13 g pro

The recipe calls for 2 leeks, but the farmer only gave me one.  I didn’t want to halve the recipe and have only 2 cups of soup as an end product, so I supplemented the leek with three big green onions.  Everything else I did as written in the original recipe.

I love this recipe!  Cooking the leeks was relatively hands-off, and they were so fragrant as they softened.  The rest of the cooking steps went quickly and I was tasting in no time.  I added salt and pepper in two stages.  The lemon in the broth was bright and fresh, and the rich onion-y flavor was deep and wonderful.  The greens gave an earthiness and the chickpeas were little grainy pops of texture.  Verdict:  I would definitely make this again. Happy soup weather!