Cream of Leek and Arugula

There is something about a Sunday. It has this relaxed, lazy, I-don’t-have-to-do-anything-and-I’m-ok-with-that feel to it. More often than not I don’t know what day of the week it is out here, and am constantly having to remind myself what month it is (November? Is it cold somewhere in the world?), but I always know when it’s Sunday. On Sunday morning, I find myself casually browsing through the refrigerator or freezer, trying to mentally put together what I will prepare for my Sunday evening feast. I attempt to find further inspiration as I flip through cookbooks while leisurely sipping coffee, allowing the books to sprawl out across the ottoman, giving way to colorful pages and inklings of fabulous meals yet to be had.

On this particular Sunday, I rummaged through the contents of my refrigerator and found an unlikely ingredient; leeks. In all of my cooking years, I have yet to prepare anything incorporating a leek. I suppose I haven’t known where to go with it. Mellower than onion but with a certain kick that would surely overpower if used in excess. I skipped to the back of my Junior League of Palo Alto Private Collection Volume 1, hoping to find something that would make use of the leeks, as well as the chicken carcass I had left over from the other evening. I was in luck. On page 10 was a Cream of Leek and Chard. However, as it goes out here I certainly didn’t have all of the ingredients. Namely the featured title ingredient, chard. But I did have plenty of arugula. I scanned through the list of ingredients and was instantly able to deduct that it was do-able. Instead of the yogurt it called for, I would substitute a mixture of sour cream and milk and since I was cooking the chicken carcass anyways, it would be a nice trade out for the ham. If you don't have a chicken carcass handy, regular canned chicken broth will suffice.

Cream of Leek and Arugula Soup

1/2 lb arugula, roughly chopped

3 large leeks

2 1/2 tbsp butter

7 tbsp flour

7 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 lb cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup milk

4 egg yolks

2 cups chicken

Whole chicken carcass

3 cubes chicken bullion

4 medium russet potatoes

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped chives

For the Broth

In a large stock pot, immerse chicken in water. Add bullion cubes and boil for 45 minutes until meat is falling off the bone. Strain broth through a colander into another pot. Let chicken cool and then remove meat from the carcass.

For the Soup

Remove roots and green stems from leeks. Rinse and chop.

Melt the butter in a stock pot and add leeks and arugula. Cook on medium low heat until soft. Sprinkle in flour and cook for two minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Turn heat to low and add chicken broth, water and salt. Continue to stir. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the cream cheese in a bowl and beat in sour cream, milk and egg yolks until smooth. Peel potatoes and chop into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large sauce pan and cover with water. Add salt and boil for 10-15 minutes, until soft but not soggy.

Slowly add the cheese mixture to the soup and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken and potatoes. Garnish with chopped chives.