The Pot Is On

When the cold winter weather sets in we all break out our comfort foods. In this family, soup is a favorite. We can be happy with simple fare or with dishes that are a little more complicated.

Our simplest soup is Ramen Noodles. Not the healthiest. However, ever since we've been married, my Latin King has taken a simple pack of ramen noodles and doctored them up. It becomes a vegetable noodle soup. We add stewed tomatoes, onion, garlic, celery and cilantro as basics. At times we add other things such as: corn, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach or green beans. He's even been known to simmer an egg in there. Evidently that was done commonly in his country and he enjoys that. It's a very inexpensive meal and I always feel better about it when we add all those healthy additions. (I don't have a picture of that right now--when I get one I'll edit this post.)

My pictures for today are of two other soup we love around here. The first soup is Leek & Potato Soup. So yummy that we hardly ever have leftovers!

I start by sauteing leeks and garlic in a little olive oil and butter. I used the stalks of 4 leeks.

Then I cut up and added about 16 red potatoes. The big lump you see in this one is a quart of turkey broth I had in the freezer. You should add enough liquid to cover the potatoes. I think mine came out to be between 3-4 quarts.

After the potatoes soften, I use an immersion blender to get a nice creamy texture. After that I added seasonings of salt, pepper, red pepper (just a bit for a little kick) and some dried rosemary. It's a hit with both boys too!

The green leaves of the leeks were left over to be used in the next soup.

The beginnings of my Olive Garden imitation of Zuppa Toscana. I love that soup! I've sauteed mild and hot italian sausage together in my cast iron pot (found at Goodwill!).

In the soup pot I add in chopped onion, the leek greens and more garlic. I used about half a head of garlic in each soup. Hey, it's good for ya!

I forgot to get photos of a couple of steps but here's the finished product. Basically, you proceed as follows: After the veggies have sauteed, add in your liquids in the form of broth and/or water and about 6 chopped potatoes. After about 10-15 minutes, add in your sausage and a few handfuls of chopped kale. For seasonings I added salt, pepper, and italian seasonings. The sausage will spice it up a bit so don't over do it. Little by little is the best way to add them.

Tigger prefers the Leek and Potato soup because this one has 'green stuff'. He ate around the kale. LOL

Pooh, on the other hand, loves the kale because it's so similar to spinach which he also loves. You go boy!

What's your winter comfort food?