I'll be honest: dinner was the last thing I wanted to think about today -- not because I was tired of planning or cooking another meal. I just couldn't imagine eating one.
I have an iron stomach when it comes to everything but stress. Give me a carton of sour cream two weeks past the sell-by date, and I'll eat it with no problem. Put me in a roomful of people with the stomach flu, and more often than not I'll walk out unscathed. Now, give me something to worry about -- the rising cost of healthcare, say, or the carpet that desperately needs replacing -- and my stomach's the first thing to go.
I've apparently got some very serious things on my mind right now, because my stomach wasn't having any part of breakfast or lunch. I thought I might be sitting dinner out, too, but I knew, dear readers, that I have certain obligations to uphold. What was a queasy Restaurant-Free-Monther to do? Luckily, when I came home from work, Jim had found the perfect solution for my mind and my stomach. (OK, maybe not my mind...) He was prepping a light leek and potato soup, courtesy of that Tom Colicchio cookbook we keep raving about.
Jim began by cooking a couple pieces of bacon (ok, maybe the soup wasn't completely light...), then sauteed some chopped leeks. In went several potatoes, diced very small. Then three cups of our homemade chicken stock, which had been warming on the stove. Five minutes before serving, he finished the soup off with a small amount (2 TBS) of butter, which I'm pretending I don't know about, and some chives. Oh, and he topped the soup with a parmesan toast.
This soup is amazing. (Jim said he would be happy to have it in any restaurant, which is high praise indeed. He also thinks I jinxed myself by writing that last post on how good we've been feeling eating at home...) The soup's flavors were exquisitely melded. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, holding their shape but dissolving on the tongue. And, best of all, it was creamy without any cream. It was the ultimate comfort food.
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