Winter Vegetable Soup With Turnips, Carrots, Potatoes and Leeks

Martha Rose ShulmanTime 1 hour Yield 6 servings

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

I use the food mill instead of a blender — immersion or regular — because I love the texture of the soup when it’s put through the mill’s coarse blade, resulting in a flavorful, colorful mixture that you can almost chew on. But you can use a blender to purée the soup. The texture will be coarsest — which is what you want — if you use an immersion blender.

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Ingredients

3 large leeks (1 to 1 1/2 pounds), white parts only, cleaned and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 large carrots (10 ounces), diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 large or 2 medium turnips (10 ounces), peeled and diced
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced
A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf and a few sprigs each thyme and parsley
Salt and black pepper
¼ cup crème fraîche, more to taste
Chopped fresh parsley or tarragon, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, combine the leeks, garlic, carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes, bouquet garni, 1 1/2 quarts water, 2 to 3 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.
Step 2
Pass the soup through the coarse blade of a food mill (or purée using a blender or an immersion blender).
Step 3
Return soup to the pot and whisk in 1/4 cup crème fraîche (or more, to taste). Heat through, taste and adjust seasonings (be generous with salt and pepper). To serve, garnish each bowl with a spoonful of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of parsley or tarragon.