Rustic Potato-Leek Soup

You might already know this, but I’m an extemporaneous cook. Recipes are guidelines. Creativity rules. Therefore, my instructions can be a bit… vague. But really, when it comes to soup, how wrong can you go??

This week, my youngest spawn is lying on the couch with tonsils the size and colour of rotten plums. When they’ve been sitting in the fridge drawer for, I don’t know, a couple of months. Between the pain, and the appetite-killing antibiotics, she’s not eating much. But soup works, so here’s what I did today.

Chop up an onion, a couple of leeks and a bunch of potatoes. Toss them into a pot, where you’ve got a couple of tablespoons of oil heating. Sweat everything until the onions are clear and limp. Add a box of chicken broth. Cook until potatoes are soft. Puree the whole thing with your hand-held mixer-thing. You can use a blender if you’re careful. I have a history of cleaning soup off the ceiling, hence the hand-held device. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I use sea salt. It just tastes better.) Last, add about a cup of cream, half-and-half or evaporated milk. I use evaporated milk, because of, you know, cholesterol. It would taste awesome with heavy cream though.

Garnish with flat-leafed parsley and/or fresh chives. I thought cheese would be a nice addition. My daughter liked it with Gruyere. I liked it with Asiago.

Super-easy soup, especially for the pathetic tonsillitis-afflicted spawn lying on my couch. Warm and smooth on the throat.

As soon as I figure out Windows 8, I’ll add photos.

Don’t hold your breath.