It was a cold, drizzly spring day and I was in the town of Bath, England where I had toured and trudged up and down hilly
streets for two hours by myself because my tour bus was not a group thing. We had visited Stonehenge earlier and by now, it was
late afternoon and I had a terrific, lack-of-food headache. There was only an hour left before I was to be at
the bus departure spot, but none of the restaurants I
had passed had appealed to me – some were overpriced, others pushed out ugly
fast food fare or heavy, pasta filled meals. Not great choices for a gluten-free eater.
My arms and back ached from carrying a too-heavy bag and camera and I was cold and miserable. I was about to give up on the food idea when I found myself
in front of The Blue Quails Deli. I went inside and looked at the
limited choices which were written on a chalkboard. With a rather sour attitude, I expressed my doubts that anything on the menu would be gluten-free. The proprietor, who was also the chef, humored me. He said he had just the meal for me - a potato-leek soup. In fact,
he said he also had gluten-free rolls to go with it. I skeptically placed my order and
sat down at a little table next to a friendly English couple who raved about
The Blue Quail's food.
With my purse and camera no longer weighing
me down, I relaxed and even smiled as the waiter brought my food. It
looked surprisingly lovely with little
greens floating on top. The first sip was heavenly and wonderful and then I discovered the egg and the salmon - hidden treasures - in my bowl! I could not believe what I was tasting! This beyond great soup dissolved my sorry state of mind, flushed away my headache and
bad attitude and I found I was suddenly very happy.
On the bus ride home I knew I would recreate this
beautiful soup in my own home…it is one I will never forget!
Potato
Leek Soup with Poached Egg and Salmon
½ Red
bell pepper
3
T butter
3
C diced leeks
2-3
large russet potatoes
6
C broth (chicken or vegetable)
Eggs
Salmon
Butter
Arugula
(optional)
Salt,
pepper
Preheat
broiler. Place red pepper, cut side down under broiler. Roast carefully until
evenly blackened. Remove pepper half to a small bowl and cover for 10 minutes.
This will allow the steam to help loosen the skin. Scrape away all of the skin
with a knife. Coarsely chop flesh.
Bake
potatoes in the microwave using a microwave cloth bag. 4-5 minutes per potato,
or until almost soft. Coarsely grate flesh; discard skin.
In
a large pot melt butter. Add roasted red pepper pieces and diced leeks. Stir to
coat well. Reduce heat, cover pot, cook until leeks are tender and slightly
translucent, 6-7 minutes.
Add
grated potatoes and broth. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. With a
slotted spoon, remove ¾ of the vegetable solids to a blender or Vita Mix.
Process until smooth. Add thick mixture back to liquids in pot. Mix well. Add
more broth if necessary. Season to taste.
Egg: in a small pan of water, poach
one egg per serving. The eggs should be cooked long enough so they are NOT runny.
Salmon: Thaw salmon
portions (1/2 per person); pat dry. Braise in butter and season with a pepper
blend until fish pieces are flaky.
Assemble: Ladle soup into
large bowls. Carefully slip one egg and a piece of salmon into each bowl of
soup. Garnish with sprigs of arugula. Serve.
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