Potato Leek Soup

Last night, while dinner was burgling on the stove, Y. and I realized that almost all of it had come from his garden. The chicken was his; the parsley, beans, garlic, lettuce, and tomatoes were his. So were the leeks and potatoes. The cream came from down the road and the apples, onion, and shallot were local too. The only things that were not local were the wine, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. We decided, once again, that we were very lucky people.

This soup has to be one of the easiest things to put together. You think it's going to be bland: veg boiled in salted water, mashed up, and reheated. But when you start with good veg and add a dollop of crème fraîche, you really can't go wrong. The sweetness of the apples and onions plays nicely against the tartness of the crème fraîche and they both go very well with the velvety potato-leek purée.

Potato Leek Soup with Crème Fraîche and Caramelized Onions and Apples

adapted from Julia's Potage Parmentier

• 1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 pound leeks, thinly sliced
• 2 quarts water
• 1 Tbs. salt
• 6 Tbs. crème fraîche
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 apple

• Bring leeks, potatoes, water, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes, until vegetables are very tender. Purée in batches, transfer to the pot in which you will reheat soup, and set aside.
• Cut your onion in such a way that you are left with long pieces. Cut your apple in half and remove the core with a melon baller. Cut apple into slabs from the top to the bottom, then cut the slabs into small wedges. Heat a couple tablespoons of butter in a small, heavy skillet. Add the onions and apples and stir so everything is coated in butter. Spread the apples and onions so they form a single layer in the pan and reduce heat to low. Let them do their thing for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Flip the apples so both sides caramelize. If things start to look dry, group onions and apples in the middle of the pan. Once onions and apples are beautifully browned and caramelized transfer to a small dish and set aside.
• To serve: reheat soup. Ladle into bowls. Top each serving with a tablespoon each of crème fraîche and caramelized apples and onion. Sprinkle with coarsely chopped parsley.

A good first course.

You can, of course, make this soup even if you don't have a wonderful boyfriend who showers you with fresh produce, but it certainly helps.

Ramp Soup

Last spring I kept on running into recipes involving ramps. I had never heard of ramps. By and by I learned that ramps are wild leeks possessing a flavor all their own, but I couldn't find them anywhere until last Saturday. It was the first day of our outdoor Farmers Market and at one of the stalls, among the baby greens, were ramps. I was delighted to find them and curious to try them in ramp soup.

I told my mom about my find and she told me that one of her dear friends grew up in West Virginia eating ramps and that on more than one occasion this friend's little sister was asked to leave the classroom for smelling too strongly of them. They are indeed pungent little bulbs, which make a lovely, oniony, spring soup. This soup is perfect for a first course, though I made a meal of it with chicken liver pâté on toast.

Ramp Soup

Gourmet, April 2008

• 1 lb. ramps
• 1/2 sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbs. oil
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/2 cups broth
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 2 Tbs. butter

• Wash and trim roots from ramps. Cut off their tops and coarsely chop enough greens to measure 3 cups. Thinly slice ramp bulbs, including pink stems.
• Cook ramp bulbs, onion, pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt in oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add wine, then boil over high heat, stirring occasionally until the wine has evaporated. Add broth and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until onions and ramps are very soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in ramp greens and boil 1 minute.
• Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until very smooth, about a minute per batch. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard on and then discarding the solids. Return soup to a clean pot and bring just to the boil. Whisk in cheese and butter until smooth. Season with salt.

Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.