In my kitchen: Potato and Leek Soup

Last Sunday was cold and blustery. Rain rain rain pretty much every time I went out of doors, and most of the time I was inside as well. As fortune would have it, I had already decided to make Potato and Leek soup, a perfect meal on a winter-in-April day.

This recipe is basic enough. The main ingredients are leeks, potatoes, onions, garlic, and celery. Actually, add some broth and salt/pepper to that, and there you go: soup. I made the error of not looking at amounts when prepping for this dish, and had to run to the market across the way for more potato and to Andronico's for more leeks -- note, you end up cutting off the tops of the leeks, so always buy more than the recipe says. The rain seemed to know right when I had to run outside to really come down.

By the time Bill came over, the apartment smelled pleasantly like a British cottage in the middle of the countryside with weather outside to match. The finished soup heated up the serving bowls quickly. Potatoes retain heat very very well! And while we thought the Potato and Leek soup was really good and definitely warming of the mulligrubs, we hypothesized that it would be even better after a day or two. We were right -- I ate leftovers at lunch today (see photo), and all the flavors had melded and intensified. Fantastic.

Soup recipes generally are for 4-8 people. Since I am usually cooking for 1-3, I have leftovers that exceed the 'take for work the next day' capacity. My freezer is a delightful array of little tupperwares with little soups in them, labeled and stacked, waiting for a day where my fridge is empty or I'm running out the door, lunchless, to work (they defrost by lunchtime). I try to make a point the putting the newest made soup on the bottom, and to use the soups within about three months of making them. I have no actual reason for using them within that time period other than it seems like a good idea.... Anyhow. Potato and Leek soup = Win.