Cream of Leek and Vermicelli Soup

From Yankee Magazine's Great New England Recipes

Soups, Stews, Chowders Recipes

Yield: Serves 6-8.

Frieda prefers to use homemade stocks in her soups, although she will use canned broth in a pinch. "If I have a chicken or turkey carcass and don't have time to make the stock from it, I'll just break it up and freeze it, then cook the stock whenever it's convenient. Soup-making has its own philosophy."

• 4 leeks
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 2 ounces vermicelli, broken up

Wash the leeks and cut them down to 2 inches below where the green leaves separate from the whole stem. Slice the lower stems and bulbs lengthwise in half, then crosswise about 1/4-inch thick. Rinse thoroughly and drain. Melt butter in a heavy soup pot and sauté the leeks gently, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Don't let them brown. Add flour and stir well. Cook at very low heat for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and ladle 1 cup of the stock into the leek-and-flour mixture in the soup pot. Mix well. Add 2 cups milk to the leek mixture. Cook the mixture gently, stirring often, for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Bring the remaining chicken stock to a boil, add the vermicelli, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vermicelli is soft. Add the stock and vermicelli to the soup pot, and heat through.

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