Leek tarragon soup

Sooooo, it's been a little while since my last post. Time=flying. I've been cooking and eating, just not terribly inventive things. But, this week there was the perfect combination of cold outside and ingredients in my refrigerator to make this fantastic soup. It came together easily (you don't even need to have BROTH around!) and it's thick and delicious—and I only wish I had taken the time to make some croutons for it.

Leeks and tarragon! They're so good for each other!

And lest you think that I haven't been thinking about cooking for a good portion of every day, check out these photo essays of Mast Brothers Chocolate and Il Buco at The Selby. I love the questionnaire at the end. Why don't you ever send me handwritten questionnaires with strange questions, Katie?


Leek tarragon soup

6 small leeks, sliced, using only the white and light green parts
herby bouillon—I use the Maggi brand, but I get it from Belgium.
water
1-2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
splash of vinegar, tarragon-infused, if you have it. Or: white.
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, on medium-high heat, melt about a tablespoon of butter with a splash of olive oil. The olive oil helps keep the butter from burning. Add the leeks. Cover, reduce heat to medium, stir every once in a while, until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add water with bouillon to cover. Or, just add broth to cover. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Puree about half of the soup and leave the other half full of leek chunks. Or, if you are chunk-adverse, puree it all.

Add the fresh tarragon, a splash of the vinegar, salt, and pepper. I used white pepper so that flecks wouldn't show up—but I've only been this picky about white v. black pepper since I actually owned a bottle of white pepper.