1leekremove the green top portion for the stock, slice and reserve the light green/white portion for the soup
2tablespoonsgheeor substitute butter or extra virgin olive oil
1teaspoonsea salt
4large garlic clovesroughly chopped
1russet potato(about 12 1/2 ounces), peeled and chopped
1largecelery head(about 1 1/3 pound), sliced, leaves reserved for blending and garnish
1bay leafoptional, remove before blending
Instructions
Make the poultry stock. Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 7 cups reduces to 5 cups stock). Add the turkey back, peppercorns, and the green top portion of the leek. Bring to a boil over high heat then simmer for about 40 minutes.
Sweat the aromatics. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or medium pot, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add the sliced light green/white portion of the leek along with the sea salt. Stir occasionally, sweating until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and turn off the heat to avoid burning.
Simmer the vegetables. To the leek and garlic mixture, add the potato, celery, bay leaf and 5 cups of the poultry stock (from step 1, above). Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Blend and finish the soup. Use a ladle to transfer the vegetables to a blender. I like to do this in 2 batches to avoid any messes. Add 1 cup reserved celery leaves (save a few for frying, if desired)*. Blend on low then increase to high until the soup is completely smooth. Transfer to a pitcher for easy pouring. To serve, taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with celery leaves, sour cream, or fresh herbs.
Video
Notes
Celery and Celery Leaves: Favor organic celery for its color and flavor for this soup and select celery with a as many leaves as possible. You should get about 1 loose cup of leaves per head/bunch. If your celery is missing a lot of leaves, you may omit them or add 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, instead.*Turkey Back: Turkey back has a lot of flavor and very little meat, making it perfect for homemade stock. If you can't find it, you may substitute 4-6 whole chicken wings. You may also make the poultry stock using a very lean whole chicken/rooster. To save time, feel free to substitute 5 cups ready made chicken stock for the liquid in this recipe (replaces step 1 above).Blending: While you can use an immersion blender, I think you should process this soup in a countertop blender to get the creamiest consistency. Fill your blender half-full and secure the lid. Start the blender on low and slowly increase the speed to avoid splatters.