leek & potato soup

I've been feeling a bit sluggish lately, and I've just been needing things to sloooow doooown a bit. Nothing seemed more appropriate than a vegetable-rich, hearty cream soup to soothe my hunger and calm my spirit. I found this recipe which is incredibly easy to follow.

Note:  Novio took one look at it and said, "that's filled with all those things I hate isn't it?" i.e.- he is not a huge fan of veggies. Hopefully the cream base masks that. I had second helpings--it is delicious!



A note about leeks: they harbor a lot of dirt and soil in that white base. Not only did I rinse them, but after the leeks were cut I rinsed them again with the help of a colander.

Then came the fun! I chopped (by HAND!) about a billion vegetables. Really it was one large white onion, 3 leeks, 2 stalks of celery. But it took forever. It may have inspired me to get one of those veggie dicing machines as seen on tv...



then, alas, more chopping (and peeling) of 6 potatoes



then, everything gets dumped into a large pot. Fill with a 32oz carton of chicken broth (low sodium of course!)



Then comes the easy part. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and mix in about 1 cup of half and half (this is what gives it a creamier texture). I guess the half and half is optional, next time I may try it without. Either way it's worth a 'go-round.  Enjoy!