I consider leeks to be one of those vegetables that just screams, spring. It’s one of the first things to appear in the woods, when everything else is still sleeping under the frost.
You know what else screams spring? Soup!
The weather is still cool, and a nice warm bowl of soup is just the perfect way to end the day.
Put those two things together and you get Wild Leek and Gnocchi Soup!
The recipe card is at the bottom, but I’ve written out the entire process with pictures if you appreciate visuals for assistance.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, fry the bacon until crispy, remove from the pan and set aside.
My bacon came from the freezer, and because I made it last minute I didn’t have time to thaw it out. I ended up taking our kitchen scissors, and cutting the frozen bacon into chunks; and just putting them right into the skillet.
They defrosted and cooked fine right in the pan.
2. Add leeks to the bacon grease in the skillet. Sauté on medium-low heat until the ramps are tender.
Just make sure that when you are cutting the leeks, you get a bigger cutting board than I did.
3. Sprinkle with flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is absorbed.
4. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to boil. Then lower the heat and let it come down to a simmer.
5. Stir in the heavy cream, and heat without boiling.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. For a chunky soup, leave as is and go on to the next step. If not, blend about half of the soup and return to the broth.
Make sure to be careful when blending hot liquids. This step also turns the entire soup a pretty mint green color! 🙂
8. Add gnocchi to the pot, and heat almost to a boil to cook the gnocchi. (It should only take 2-4 minutes for the gnocchi to cook through.)
9. Then enjoy! We ate it warm the night I made it, but I brought it to lunch the next day; and it was just as amazing served cold!
Wild Leek and Gnocchi Soup
The perfect soup for any spring day, enjoyable hot or cold.
- 1 package bacon (8-12 slices)
- 8 cups Leeks
- 2 packages Potato Gnocchi (17.5 oz each)
- 6 tbsp Flour
- 8 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- salt and pepper ((to taste))
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, fry the bacon until crispy, remove from the pan and set aside.
Add leeks to the bacon grease in the skillet. Sauté on medium-low heat until the ramps are tender.
Sprinkle with flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is absorbed.
Stir in the chicken broth and bring to boil. Then lower the heat and let it come down to a simmer.
Stir in the heavy cream, and heat without boiling.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
For a chunky soup, leave as is and go on to the next step.
If not, blend about half of the soup and return to the broth.
Add gnocchi to the pot, and heat almost to a boil to cook the gnocchi. (It should only take 2-4 minutes for the gnocchi to cook through.)
Serve hot or cool to room temperature, cover, and chill thoroughly to serve cold as you would a vichyssoise. Garnish with crumbled bacon, and serve with crusty artisan bread and butter if desired.
O and E Farm 