fall kitchen

no sooner did i bemoan my lack of green in my kitchen than did i stumble upon two overlooked csa shares that were forgotten by their owners—score! spinach, salad greens, garlic, delicata squash and leeks, music to this girl's heart.

last night i whipped together a tasty fall quiche.

sauteed onions and leeks, a touch of garlic, wilted spinach, steamed broccoli and delicata squash. a touch of smoked aged cheddar and some backyard-fresh eggs.

i also made potato leek soup. it made the house smell amazing, but the photos weren't very enticing. i used Alice Water's recipe from The Art of Simple Food with a couple of upgrades:

2 lbs leeks, rinsed and chopped
2T butter
1 c. bacon chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1.5 lbs of potatoes, peeled and diced
6 c of broth or water (2 c. broth, 4 c. water)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
optional: 1/3 c heavy cream or evaporated milk

fry the bacon over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. add the leeks, thyme and bay. add a fair dusting of salt. saute until the leeks soften, about 10 minutes. (i threw in a little butter too.)

add the potatoes, salt them and cook for about 4 minutes. add the broth/water and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. cook until the potatoes are tender, but not quite mushy, about 30 minutes.

remove the bay leaf and the thyme sprigs. using an immersion blender in the pot, puree about half of the soup and return the puree to the pot. stir in the cream if desired, taste the soup and add salt and pepper until it is just right.

potato soup is one of my favorite fall and winter meals, i'm looking forward to lunch.