What I Just Cooked: Leek And Potato Soup

Leek and potato soup. This is such a simple soup to make. All you really need is water, a potato, and 1 - 3 leeks, depending on the size of the leeks. To make it richer, you can add the optional ingredients of milk or half-and-half or cream (depending on how rich you want to make it) and maybe some nice cheese (I like provolone but pecorino is nice too). To make the soup, you just need to peel and wash the potato, cut it into smallish cubes and put it into a medium pot. Add water just to cover. Bring water to boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Add about a tablespoon of salt (or less to suit your taste or dietary requirements) and a sprinkling of pepper. Cook for about fifteen minutes. In the meanwhile clean the leeks. This is the only really tough part because leeks are a pain.

The way I clean leeks is this: first trim the leeks and get rid of all the tough green parts (the yellow and yellow-ish green parts are still good for soup); after trimming, take a large knife and cut the leek in half, beginning from just below the root (you want to keep the root attached because this will make it easier to clean); now clean the leek under running water, making sure to check between all the layers of the leek. But another way of cleaning leeks is this: cut off the root end; cut the leek in half; slice the leek the way you would slice an onion; put the cut-up leeks into a bowl; put water into the bowl; swish around and get the leeks clean; drain the leeks into a colander; rinse again with water; let drain.

If you cleaned the leeks my way, slice up the leeks. If you cleaned the leeks the other way, you're ahead of the game. By this time, the potatoes which have been simmering should be ready. Add the leeks and cook for another five minutes. Then, using either a blender or a food processor, blend the soup until it's nice and smooth. At this point, you can add the optional ingredients, the milk or the cheese or both. And serve.

Today I served the soup with little rectangles of toasted sour dough bread.

How did it turn out? I'd give it an A. It's a very filling soup. I used cream and cheese, with a garnish of sour cream. For a really cold day like today, boy, did I need the cream!

What I Just Cooked: Twice-baked Potatoes

Twice-baked potatoes. It turned out to be an all-day project. I had two massive russet potatoes that took almost two hours to bake in a 375 degree oven. When the potatoes were nice and fluffy inside, I scooped out the flesh and mashed it with half a stick of butter, half a cup of sour cream and half a cup of half-and-half. Salt and pepper, of course. I also gave it an extra whipping with my hand-held blender before piling the creamy concoction back into their skins. I wanted to pipe the filling to give it a nice look, but I had a mild fever, which gave me a headache, so in the end, I just made some swirls with a fork. When I was ready for dinner, I popped it back into a 375 degree oven and cooked it for about forty minutes. Oh! Before popping it back, I topped the potatoes with a snow of pecorino cheese, hoping for a nice gratineed effect.

I wish restaurants had twice-baked potatoes on the menu. Potatoes, in general, seem to be on the decline. Yes, you will find plenty of french fries and the occasional mashed, but remember the glory days of baked potatoes with every main dish? When the potatoes would come with a silver carousel filled with wonderful topping options like sour cream, whipped butter, green onions? And what happened to potato skins served a hundred different ways? Looking back, I guess the late 80s were the golden days of the spud. At least, when you're looking at it from a restaurant point of view. When looking at it from the supply perspective, things have never been better. Even Ralphs has at least four different kinds of potatoes, from lovely yellow ones like Yukons to dark purple delights. I even found one called White Rose which I'm dying to try.

How did it turn out? I couldn't resist garnishing the final golden spud with very finely minced green onions. You have to cut the fat somehow. Since I considered the potatoes as the main dish, I served Italian-style sausages on the side, more as something to dip into the mashed potatoes than anything else! I'll give my try at twice-baked potatoes a solid B. It's been a few years and I'm out of practice. :(