Ravings of a Textual Deviant

It’s not quite leek and potato soup, nor is it a chowder…mostly because I wanted it all. Technically, this is more of a variation on potage parmentier, because it’s intended to be served warm, but the pun was too bad to pass up.

This nice thing about this soup is that you put in any kind of fish or seafood that you want. I used a mix of large shrimp (cut up), baby scallops, and langoustines. If you’re using frozen seafood, only thaw it partway, before adding it to the soup, because it’ll help keep you from overcooking it.

• 1 T butter
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 2 medium or large Yukon Gold potatoes, small dice
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 C. white wine
• 3 C. chicken stock (or fish stock, if you’re together enough to have some. I’m not)
• 1 C. heavy cream
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1 1/2-C. cups raw white fish, shrimp, clams, scallops, or whatever you’ve got on hand

Melt the butter in the bottom of your soup pot over medium heat, and saute the celery, leek, and onion lightly, adding in garlic after the vegetables are soft. As soon as the raw-garlic smell is gone, add in the wine wine, and let the alcohol cook off. When it doesn’t smell boozy, add in the chicken (or fish) stock, diced potatoes, and the herbs. Let the soup cook for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat, until the potato is cooked through.

Combine the cream and milk. When the potato is cooked, turn the heat down to medium low. Start stirring the soup, then slowly pour the heavy cream and milk into the pot. Take your time; you don’t want the dairy to curdle.  Add the seafood to the pot, and continue to stir occasionally. when the seafood is barely done, remove from heat and serve immediately. If you find that you have leftovers, reheat them in a pot on the stove rather than in the microwave. Microwaves to BAD THINGS to seafood.

I had intended to bake some bread to go with the soup, but I took a nap instead.

So, I find myself in posession of half a dozen very fresh, free-range, antiobiotic-and-hormone-free duck eggs, courtesy of a farm-owning coworker whose egg cups runneth over, as it were. (She also gave me a dozen chicken eggs of similar quality, and I can’t wait to try them.) The duck eggs are huge, by my city-girl standards–one duck egg probably equals at least one and a half large eggs, if not two. My co-worker tells me that she’s heard that they are especially good for baking, but hasn’t tried it herself.  Neither have I.

Any input or helpful suggestions from the Reading Public?