Recipe: Cream of Kale and Leek Soup (GAPS-legal)

Mr. Scrimp recently got a new job that lets him come home for lunch every day, which means two things. One, I no longer eat my lunch at the computer while I work. Two, I had to start thinking a little more clearly about what my (now our) lunch was going to be.

You see, in the past, lunch for Mr. Scrimp has been dinner leftovers, and lunch for me has been... whatever I scrounge up when I remember to eat. It might be peanut butter on a spoon. It might be chicken alfredo. It just depends on what's in the fridge, what my mood is, and whether I care to spend my lunch break cooking instead of relaxing (or blogging).

I'm at the end of my first full week of the GAPS diet, working on healing some GI issues, so I've also had to find lunches that are GAPS legal. This one was quick, easy, and full of gentle, healing ingredients. Yesterday on the fly I came up with this: cream of kale and leek soup. It's delicious! Thick, warm, and packed with flavor that is just perfect on a gray, rainy fall day.

So green, so tasty

We brought the leftovers to a pot luck, where they got absolutely demolished. This is definitely going on my list as a make-again recipe.

The recipe is completely GAPS-legal for all stages unless you are not eating dairy (and even then, it's pretty tasty without the sour cream).

Cream of Kale and Leek Soup (serves 8-12)

• 5-6 large leeks
• 10-16 oz chopped kale, spinach, collard greens, or other potherbs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 8 cups bone stock or broth
• 3 cloves garlic
• 5-10 slices uncured bacon or pork belly
• Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Begin with your stock. This is the building block of any good soup. The longer it cooks and the more you put into it, the better the flavor you're going to take out. The stock I used for this soup was made with a combination of chicken feet, chicken thighs, and pork bones and cooked for two days before I turned it into soup. Don't worry if you don't have time to do this--you can use the store bought stuff if you're in a hurry, but I urge you to have a peek at my easy homemade stock recipe and give it a try. 

 

Bring the stock to a simmer and clean the leeks. The best way to do this is to trim the ends to remove the root ball and any dried leaves at the top. Then, cut each end of the leek into quarters lengthways, leaving about an inch or two of uncut leek in the center. Holding it by the center, place the leek under running water and fan the cut ends apart, rinsing until all silt and dirt are gone. 

Slice the leeks and add to the stock. 

Peel and crush garlic cloves and add to the stock. You can dice them if you want to, but I didn't bother. 

 

Cut the bacon into small pieces and add it to the stock. If you want to get really fancy, you can brown it in another pan first, but you don't have to.

Finally, add kale or other potherbs to the stock. Cover, turn to medium-low heat, and let the soup simmer until all vegetables are completely softened--this can be anywhere from half an hour to two or three hours, depending on your preference and whether you plan to blend it. You could just serve the soup at this point, if you like a chunky, brothy soup or aren't planning to add sour cream.

When all ingredients are completely soft, blend in a food processor or with an immersion blender until creamy. Add sour cream, stir, and season to taste with salt and pepper.