Potato Leek Soup with soda bread and butter
Servings
4-6
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour
Pre Heat:
350 Degrees

Introduction
Potato Leek Soup with soda bread and butter
What Is Potato Leek Soup
While I do not have many blood connections with Ireland, I do have a love for the Emerald Isle and its traditions of fairies and banshees and all things magical. It was the first European country I ever visited, and I found the green hills and castles to be just as lovely and idyllic as my rather romantic spirit had hoped they would be. This dinner evokes Ireland for me even more vividly than the proverbial corned beef and cabbage that we always had on St. Patrick’s Day when I was growing up. I can just imagine it simmering slowly on the “hob” throughout a busy day as its savory bouquet perfumes the air. A couple of hours before it is to be served the farm wife quickly cobbles together the soda bread and dashes it into the oven before going off to do another of her unending tasks. Sometimes, although I am not milking cows and gathering my own eggs (more’s the pity!),

I feel something in common with those farmers. The work is never done, but there can be joy in just doing it. And it is always lovely to take a moment together at the end of a busy day to enjoy dinner together, especially if the dinner is soup and a fresh loaf of bread.
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks
- 1 medium onions
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 quarts good stock or broth
- ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 8 medium gold potatoes
Soda Bread:
- 2 ¾ cups/390 grams all purpose flour
- 1 cup/142 grams whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons butter, softened
To Serve:
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- Irish butter
Gluten Free Variation: For the bread, combine 3 cups/425 grams gluten free flour blend, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, and 2 Tablespoon brown sugar. Rub ¼ cup cubed, chill butter into the flour blend until no lumps remain. Freeze at this point. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. To prepare bread, whisk together 3/4 cup milk and 2/3 cup plain yogurt. Stir milk mixture into the flour mixture. Stir to combine and turn out the dough on a lightly potato starched surface. Kneed lightly by folding the dough on itself to bring it together. Form the dough into a 9-10 inch round that is mounded in the center. Smooth the dough with damp hands and slash an x in the top with a sharp knife. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden and the bread has an internal temperature of 200-degrees.



Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
2 large leeks
1 medium onions
2 Tbsp oil
1 teaspoon salt
Slice the leeks lengthwise and rinse them very thoroughly by fanning out the sections and letting the water run through them. Cut into ½-inch semicircles. Peel and halve the onions from the stem to the root. Cut onions thinly with the natural ribs. Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When it is hot, add the oil, then stir in the leeks, onions, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10-15 minutes, until the onions are very soft and slightly golden.
Step 2
2 quarts good stock or broth
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
Stir into the onions. Puree the onions into the broth using an immersion blender. This step is optional if you do not have an immersion blender.
Step 3
8 medium gold potatoes
Peel and cut into ½-inch pieces. Add to the broth mixture and cook until they are meltingly tender, about ½ hour. Cool and freeze.
Step 4
Soda Bread:
2 ¾ cups/390 grams all purpose flour
1 cup/142 grams whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
Step 5
To serve:
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Irish butter Thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator and reheat. Salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Whisk together liquids and gently stir into the flour mixture. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold over onto itself 5 times to form a homogenous dough. Divide in half and form into 6-inch round circles that are domed in the center. Cut a cross into the top. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake approximately 25 minutes.
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