Not the average...

L'espoir est le rêve d'un homme éveillé.

Hope is the dream of a man awake.

-French Proverb

Today I am presenting an established classic, potato soup, with an updated twist. I was gathering earlier that I craved some comfort food, and soup is always calming. I made a roasted red pepper and chipotle puree that was a pleasant addition to the soup. I then positioned grilled cheese croutons with banana peppers on top of the soup. Soup is a forgiving creation in my eyes, so feel free to experiment with any toppings that are appealing to your specific tastes.

Potato Leek and Roasted Pepper Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

2 lb yukon gold potaotes diced

3 leeks (whites only chopped)

3 shallots

2 bay leaves

1/8 t grated nutmeg

5 T butter

6 C chicken broth

2 red bell peppers

2 chipotle peppers (from a can in adobo sauce)

fresh cilantro

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Place red bell peppers on a backing sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Roast until skin is bubbled and blackened in areas. Remove from oven and place in a plastic bag to cool. Once cooled remove from bag, and remove skin and seeds (leaving just the pepper).

Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks, shallots, and bay leaves. Cook until tender. Add potatoes and cook until soft then add 4 C chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 min or until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Pulse mixture in batches in a food processor until smooth. Place back in dutch oven, add remaining chicken broth and warm.

Place roasted peppers and chipotle peppers in food processor and pulse until smooth.

Grilled Cheese Croutons

fontina cheese (or any soft melting cheese you like)

cheddar cheese

banana peppers

ciabatta bread

butter

Butter outside of 4-6 slices of bread. Line inside of bread with cheese and peppers to make sandwiches. Grill on each side. Once off the grill cut into little squares to make croutons for the soup.

Ladel soup into bowls, swirl pepper mixture on top of soup and garnish with fresh cilantro and grilled cheese croutons.

Until tomorrow...Peace.