ReferenceI got this recipe from Food Network, and then modified it a little bit.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 chopped leeks, white part only
2 tablespoons minced garlic
~2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups fresh green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken
1 can tomato paste
2 cans sweet corn, drained
Procedure
Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomato paste, corn kernels, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
Results and Discussion
I think that replacing the tomatoes with the tomato paste was a mistake. I'm not a fan of tomatoes, and so I decided to get rid of them, but wanted to keep something similar. Next time, I'll try to find something else, or at least use less than 1 can.
While waiting for it to simmer, I smelled the soup, and it seemed kind of boring. I looked through my spice cabinet, and I found Chinese Five-Spice. I added about 1/2 teaspoon, and that saved the soup. It was delicious! Definitely going to include the Five-Spice in my next iteration.
