August 25, 2005
leek me baby soup
Many times during this month I've woken up and wondered, "Is this August or October?" A quick check confirms it is indeed August, though you'd never guess it when you step outside. Rainy (does Germany have a monsoon season I don't know about?) and chilly (enough to turn the heat on), and that's all she wrote. I hope the weather is better in the Northeast U.S, where I am happily heading for my brother's wedding in about a week and a half.
This is a soup recipe in August, and it is not a chilled soup. The only thing chilled around here is me ... and after a bike ride with my little bud Benny this morning, wearing a sweater, I needed an anti-sniffle remedy. Hey, a girl's gotta stay warm. Leek me, Baby!
leek me baby soup
take 1 large leek, sliced, and add to a small pot over medium low heat. to this, add 1 chopped carrot; 1 onion, halved and then quartered; 1 stick of celery, chopped; 2 sprigs of thyme. saute for 5 minutes (without oil), add water to cover, put a lid on it and cook for 30 - 40 minutes until veggies are just tender.
(at this point, you can refrigerate the soup to finish later if you like.)
ladle 3/4 of the soup into a blender and liquefy. add 2 heaping soup spoons of plain bio yogurt and pulse. pour into a small saucepan. add the reserved vegetables, season with salt and a grating of nutmeg, and simmer until hot.
dollop of yogurt in the center, a quartered cherry tomato, handful of torn basil, crack over some pepper, and you're good to go.
serves 2.
