Leek and Potato Soup

What I like about cooking (as opposed to baking) is the looseness of it. It is very forgiving and allows you to make a lot of mistakes and still come up with something tasty. Or at least edible. This is, I think, the recipe that I have down the best. I have done it a bunch of times, and each time I do it just a bit differently, and I’ve discovered additions that improve it (add olive oil to the butter!) and didn’t (more carrots!). It’s a simple recipe, though. I don’t remember where I found the recipe that I based this one, though. It was somewhere on the internet, and frankly, they’re more or less all the same. It would be hard to reduce this recipe down further. That, for me, is its charm. Oh, and it tastes really good.

Leek and Potato Soup

Serves Four

4 large leeks, split and cleaned
1½ pounds of potatoes, cut into small cubes
4 large carrots, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
One package 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable stock, or about or four cups
A table spoon of fresh thyme, chopped fine
1 heavy pinch of salt
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cut off the roots and the dark green tops of the leeks, and split them until just before the roots. Pull them open slightly and rinse them under running water to wash out sand and dirt between the leaves. When the leeks are cleaned, split them completely and chop up into quarter inch sections.

Place a six-quart pot on medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the leeks and thyme. Add a heavy pinch of salt to the leeks and sauté them in the butter for about twenty-five minutes until they’re soft.

When the leeks are soft, add the potatoes, the carrots and the stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for an hour or so, or until the carrots and potatoes are soft.

You can place the soup into a blender and puree it, or leave it that way. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy your healthy soup. If you don’t want it to be as healthy as that, you can add some parmesan cheese or some crisped bacon, crumbled, as a garnish.

Writing and Cooking

I’ve been trying, for various reasons, to eat healthier and cook more. I’ve pretty much always enjoyed cooking, to a limited extent, I think I’m pretty good at it. I know some techniques, I’ve made some things that I was pretty proud of, and I know to have a good time with it. The downside of cooking, of course, is that can be a lot of work (usually having to do some sort of straightening up and cleaning before I start, and then some again afterwards can be a pain, especially with limited counter space and only one sink). When I get home from work, that’s often the last thing I want to do. But, self-improvement, et cetera. So, as I said, I’m trying to do it more often. I’ve made a couple of things that I was pretty pleased with, so I figured, since I started this blog to practice writing more, that I might as well put things up about that and see how it works out. Two forms of self-improvement: one stone.

I actually have been writing more than usual of late. I wrote part of a short story that was going pretty well before abandoning it, as I always do. I’ve been writing a lot for Ghettoblaster magazine: reviews, some interviews, and other things. I do semi-interesting things on a regular basis. I ought to just start throwing that stuff up here. I will make an effort to do so. It’s my promise to you, the non-existent reader. Anyways, this kind of naval-gazing nonsense is borning, so hopefully the food stuff will be more interesting.