Comfort Food for a Snow Day

I am always looking for a good excuse, especially in the fall and winter, to make a really good soup. And, yes, I know, perhaps the phrase "looking for a good excuse" is a commentary on my often-too-full, often-too-fast pace of living. But snow days -- the blizzard warning for our area runs through midnight tomorrow night -- have a way of slowing us down. And I needed it.

Elyse and I made this soup together this afternoon using a recipe from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups.

Potato and Cheese Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
5 cups water
2 cups milk
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
salt and white pepper to taste
paprika

Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the sliced leeks and saute them for about 2 minutes on low heat. Add the diced potatoes and continue sauteing for another minute while stirring continually.

Add the water and cook over moderate heat, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

Add the milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika, and bring the soup to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the soup stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4-6.

I couldn't find leeks before the blizzard so we substituted minced garlic and a whole white onion, chopped but not finely chopped. We used skim milk but I think 2% or whole milk would be better. Or, one cup skim and a one cup Half & Half. For the cheese I used Vermont Sharp White Cheddar. Really good!

The monks never make their soups too thick or rich. This is a pleasant mix of potato and cheese. You can actually taste the potato, not just the cheese or cream. Follow the recipe, and don't overcook.

Joy in simplicity. Just another lesson we can learn from the monks.