JANUARY 2020 103
Everybody Soup
PHOTO P. 85
ACTIVE 50 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 20 MIN
SERVES 8You can serve this potato-leek soup so
many different ways: with a dollop of
crème fraîche and smoked salmon;
topped with roasted broccoli florets and
shredded cheddar cheese; or simply
plain, as it has a mellow, delicious flavor
on its own.2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 large leeks, white and light green
parts only, halved lengthwise,
halves cut into^1 / 2 -inch-thick half-
moons (about 8 cups)
4 large celery stalks, chopped (about
2 cups), plus small, tender leaves
for garnish
6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled,
quartered lengthwise, and cut into(^1) / 2 -inch pieces (about 9 cups)
7 cups water
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. jarred chicken
stock base (such as Better Than
Bouillon)
1 cup whole milk
(^1) / 4 cup heavy cream
11 / 2 tsp. kosher salt
(^1) / (^2) tsp. black pepper
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
Finely chopped fresh chives and
crushed potato chips, for garnish
- Melt butter with olive oil in a large,
heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium.
Add leeks; cook, stirring often, until soft-
ened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add celery; cook,
stirring often, until tender and deeply sat-
urated in color, about 8 minutes. Add
potatoes; stir to coat potatoes in butter
and oil. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stir-
ring often, until potatoes are coated in a
shiny, milky starch, about 5 minutes. Stir
in 7 cups water and chicken stock base;
bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to
medium, and simmer, stirring occasion-
ally, until potatoes are just tender and
vegetables are softened, about 15 min-
utes. Remove from heat. Using a ladle,
remove 2 cups of cooking stock (liquid
only), and reserve in a small bowl. Let
remaining soup stand at room tempera-
ture 30 minutes. - Stir milk, cream, salt, pepper, and nut-
meg into soup. Stir in reserved stock, a lit-
tle at a time, to reach desired consistency.
(If desired, use a potato masher to mash
some of the soup. To serve pureed, pour
soup and reserved 2 cups stock, in 2
batches, into a blender. Process until
smooth, about 20 seconds per batch.)
Divide soup evenly among 8 bowls, and
garnish with celery leaves, chives, and
crushed potato chips. —E M I LY N U N N
MAKE AHEAD Let soup cool completely,
and store in an airtight container in
refrigerator up to 3 days.
WINE Grassy, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc:
2017 Dog PointCaldo de Pollo
PHOTO P. 89
ACTIVE 40 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 45 MIN
SERVES 6Barely covering the chicken legs with
water, along with a few aromatics, quickly
produces a flavorful and rich chicken
stock that’s lightly spiced with jalapeños
and sweet tomatoes.4 (10-oz.) chicken leg quarters
5 cups water
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, smashed
31 / 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
to taste
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch
pieces(^1) / (^2) lb. yellow or red baby new potatoes
(about 5 potatoes), quartered
1 medium-size yellow onion, cut into
(^1) / 2 -inch pieces (about 1 (^1) / 2 cups)
3 celery stalks, cut into^1 / 2 -inch
pieces (about 1 cup)
1 cup uncooked pearled barley
1 (14^1 / 2 -oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and
green chiles (such as Ro-Tel)
2 jalapeños, stemmed
- Combine chicken leg quarters, 5 cups
water, cumin, garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt
in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over
high. Reduce heat to low; cover and gently
simmer 25 minutes. - Stir in carrots, potatoes, onion, celery,
barley, stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes
and green chiles, and jalapeños. Increase
heat to medium, and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low; cover and gently sim-
mer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables
and barley are tender and chicken is fall-
ing off the bone, about 40 minutes.
Remove chicken meat from bones; dis-
card bones. Stir chicken and remaining^1 / 2
teaspoon salt into soup. Add salt to taste.
—JOHN PAUL BRAMMER
MAKE AHEAD Prepare the soup, omitting
the barley. Prepared soup can be stored
in an airtight container in refrigerator up
to 3 days. Stir in cooked barley when
ready to serve.
THE COMFORT FOOD
Ricotta Hotcakes with CHRONICLES from p. 91
Honeycomb Toffee Butter
PHOTO P. 78
ACTIVE 35 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 10 MIN
SERVES 4Honeycomb toffee (known as hokey pokey
in New Zealand) gives this butter a sweet
crunch; find it online at snookscandies
.com. Use an ice cream scoop to portion
batter into uniformly shaped pancakes.HONEYCOMB BUTTER
1 cup honeycomb toffee pieces(^1) / (^2) cup unsalted butter (4 oz.), softened
1 Tbsp. honey
(^1) / 4 tsp. kosher salt
HOTCAKES
12 / 3 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
(about 1 3^3 / 4 oz.) (such as Galbani)
1 cup whole milk
5 large eggs, separated
11 / 4 cups all-purpose flour
(about 5^3 / 8 oz.)
11 /^4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
Unsalted butter, for greasing
griddle
2 large bananas, sliced
1 cup crushed honeycomb toffee
- Make the honeycomb butter: Process
toffee pieces in a food processor until
very finely ground, about 30 seconds.
Add butter, honey, and salt. Process until
blended, about 30 seconds. Transfer but-
ter mixture to a large sheet of plastic
wrap, and roll into a 5-inch-long, about
11 / 2 -inch-wide log. Chill at least 2 hours or
up to 2 weeks. - Make the hotcakes: Whisk together
ricotta, milk, and egg yolks in a medium
bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder,
and salt in a large bowl. Whisk ricotta mix-
ture into flour mixture until combined.
Beat egg whites at medium speed with a
mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3 min-
utes. Fold beaten egg whites into ricotta
mixture in 2 batches until just combined. - Heat an electric griddle to 375°F or a
large stainless steel skillet over medium-
low. Lightly grease with butter. Working in
batches, spoon^1 / 3 cup batter per pancake
onto griddle. Cook until tops are speckled
with bubbles and sides look set, 5 to 6
minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown,
5 to 6 minutes; remove pancakes. Wipe
griddle; repeat with remaining batter. - To serve, divide hotcakes into 4 stacks;
top each stack of hotcakes with^1 / 2 cup
banana slices, 2 honeycomb butter slices,
and^1 / 4 cup crushed honeycomb toffee.
—BILL GRANGER, BILLS, HONOLULU