愛爾蘭韮蔥燕麥粥/Irish Leek and Oatmeal Soup

我既不愛蔥，也不愛韮菜，對於韮蔥(Leek)倒是非常感興趣。想不起來第一次使用韮蔥是做什麼菜了，但嚐起來味道還不錯，也讓我一直想試試其他使用韮蔥的料理。結果居然讓我找到這麼奇妙的組合！



我從小就愛燕麥粥，愛到幾乎可以直接吃不用煮的程度。不過從沒想過燕麥可以煮鹹食，更何況搭配上我非常不熟悉的蔬菜。看了一下留言，發現很多人也不知道這種吃法，馬克先生也沒聽過。既然這是從我最愛的食譜網站來的，有不少好評，而且感覺很健康，我下定決心給這道湯品一次機會。沒想到一試就愛上了呢！

材料（約二人份）：
奶油－1/2大匙
韮蔥－1根，去掉頭尾清洗乾淨後切細條
水－2杯
雞湯粉－適量
牛奶－3/4杯
燕麥片－3/4杯
黑胡椒－適量

做法：
1. 在湯鍋中將奶油用小火融化後，加入切細的韮蔥，炒至韮蔥軟化。
2. 加入水、雞湯粉和牛奶，轉大火讓湯滾。
3. 再加入燕麥片和適量的黑胡椒。煮滾後轉小火慢燉，直到燕麥片軟化，大約25分鐘。

原食譜請參考：skinnytaste.com

是不是超級簡單？如果不知道怎麼清洗韮蔥，網路上很多影片可以參考。原食譜使用1/2杯燕麥粒，我只有不含麩質的燕麥片，加上我很喜歡吃燕麥，所以增加燕麥的量。

我的韮蔥有點炒焦了，所以顏色不是太好看。加了牛奶有點像在喝濃湯，不過沒有類似需要炒麵糊或是加了馬鈴薯的濃湯的厚重感。但燕麥又讓湯品稍微濃稠些。有點鹹、有點清爽又略微稠密的口感，相當奇妙確又美味！非常適合做為週間的簡單健康晚餐啊。



I don't like green onions and chives, but somehow I am very interested in leeks, which are not seen in Taiwan.  I can't recall the first time I used leeks, but the taste was accpetable.  After my first try, I have been looking for other leek recipes.  And this was an unexpectedly pleasant find.

I have always loved oatmeals, but never knew that oats don't always have to be sweet.  I read the comments and found out that actually this dish is not well known.  Mark has never heard of the soup, as well.  Since this is from my favorite website, has lots of positive comments, and seems to be healthy, I decided to give it a try.  And you know what?  It is really great!

Ingredients
1/2 tbs butter
1 leek, white and pale green only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 cups water
Instant chicken bouillon to taste
3/4 cup fat free milk
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a soup pot over low heat.  Add the leeks and cook until they are soft. 
2. Add the water, chicken bouillon and milk.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Add the oats and the fresh cracked black pepper.  Return to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to low, and cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until oats are tender.  

Original recipe: skinnytaste.com

Isn't it super easy?  If you don't know how to deal with leeks, there are lots of videos online for reference.  The original recipe uses steel cut oats.  I increase the portion since I only have gluten free oats, and I LOVE oats.

My leeks were a little burned, so the color wasn't that attractive.  The soup is creamy due to the milk and the oats, but not as heavy as other soups using white roux.  Salty, a little light, and a bit creamy - overall it is very savory.  A perfectly simple and healthy dinner for a busy week night.