Pasta and Leek Soup with Goat Cheese
The goat cheese called for in this recipe is not the one most people are accustomed to: the creamy, snowy-white fresh cheese that comes in the shape of a log or pyramid. Here you want aged goat cheese. Seldom as hard as Parmigiano, it should crumble between your fingers. In taste it is more assertive and pungent than the fresh. Look for aged goat cheese in specialty food shops.
This soup comforts. Even though it is hearty, it sets the stage beautifully as a first course to be followed by grilled or roasted meat or poultry, and a green salad. Or make a meal of it with good bread.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces small pasta shells
- 4 fat leeks
- 4 thin medium carrots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 1 cup crumbled aged goat cheese such as imported Kasseri
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta shells for about 10 minutes, until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain and set aside.
- Trim each leek of most of its green part, the outer layer of leaves, and the root end. Cut the trimmed leeks in half lengthwise, place them cut side down, and slice them crosswise into semicircles about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the leeks to a large colander and wash under plenty of running water until clean of all dirt and sand. Let drip dry in the colander.
- Peel, trim, and slice the carrots into ½ -inch rounds. Peel, trim, and slice the garlic cloves.
- In a large heavy pot, sauté the leeks in the olive oil and butter over low heat until wilted. Add the garlic and sauté it, taking care that it does not brown. Add the carrots, cover the pot, and sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the goat cheese, chicken broth, salt, thyme, and black pepper. Simmer the soup, covered, for about 30 minutes.
- Before serving, stir in the cooked pasta shells. Reheat the soup until it returns to a boil, and boil it for 1 minute. Serve in pasta or soup bowls. It is best served on the day it is made.