Here’s how things went tonight, when I served potato and leek soup:
Rose: I DON’T LIKE THIS SOUP!!!
Me: Then you can have bread and butter, and zucchini. I think the soup is really good. Shane, what do you think?
Shane: The soup is really good.
(1o minutes elapse during which Shane doesn’t appear to be eating his soup, at all)
Me: Shane, do you really like the soup or were you just saying that.
Shane: The soup is good, it’s just that soup isn’t really my cup of tea.
Me: I know, but I thought you might like it because it’s potato based.
Shane: Because I’m Irish? That’s like going to Ireland and having someone assume you like big hamburgers.
Me: Actually, I thought you might like it because you like potatoes.
Shane: I like sausage soup… and meat soup.
Me: “Meat soup?” Seriously?
Rose: Yeah, mom! Why you’re making so much soup… and vegetarian food lately?
etc…
The above conversation might not sound like much of an endorsement, but I assure you this soup is quite tasty and really hits the spot on a cold, cold night. Particularly if you don’t mind soup, or “vegetarian food” for dinner.
• Vegetarian Potato & Leek Soup •
5 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, stringy roots, tippy tops, and tough outer parts trimmed off
2 large potatoes (about 1.5lbs), peeled
4 cups water and 1 tablespoon Vegetable Better Than Bouillon (or 4 cups vegetable broth)
1 parmesan rind
salt and pepper to taste
Trim the leeks, halve lengthwise and chop into 1/2″ pieces. Put leeks into a salad spinner and wash thoroughly, leeks can be pretty dirty. Make sure to separate the pieces so that all the dirt gets out. Spin to remove excess water.
Melt butter in a medium to large saucepan or dutch oven. Add leeks and cook until soft. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into inch-ish sized chunks. You don’t need to be precise, larger chunks will just take longer to cook.
Add potatoes to leeks and cook for a minute or two. Add water and Better Than Bouillon (or broth) and parmesan rind. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are very soft.
Remove parmesan rind and blend soup (in the pot) with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread and butter.
Nina – I hope you replied that you are making “so much soup and vegetarian food” because you are the one providing the meals. I am a staunch believer of “S/he who does the work, sets the menu.” My kids routinely complain of what I serve, not because they HATE it, but because it is not maybe the ONE thing they think they may want at the time (pizza, probably). “One day you’ll have your own kitchen and make $ to buy your own ingredients and I promise, at that point, the choice will be entirely yours,” is what I tell them. They complain anyway. :) Your soup sounds delish!
Thanks Liza! Rose is the Queen of Fickle so I rarely take her likes and dislikes to heart. However, unlike me, these two really do seem to start to feel it when they go meatless for too long. Which is why there was also a plate of prosciutto on the table. Sheesh, those guys!
I make a similar soup but mine has carrots, which turn it a nice color. I’ll try the parmesan rind. I agree with Liza. If you cook, you have more votes!
Oh my god that is so hysterical that i just guffawed really loudly at work reading this!
Thanks for the multiple chuckles and witty dialogue.