This week’s Romance Writers Weekly theme is all about our favorite cool weather comfort foods. Alas, it is a bit tricky for me, not from the standpoint of food, you’ve seen my Historical Foodie posts, there is nothing I love more than cooking. Well, except maybe writing. The trouble comes from being in Southern California where the temperatures are still in the mid-80s. It’s hard to feel in the autumn mood when it still feels like summer. 😕
But, I’ve been missing my Historical Foodie challenges, so this is a nice way to reintroduce myself to it.
Since all my research books are packed away while I set up my office, I had to dive into the internet to find an appropriate recipe. This one comes from the Modern Cookery for Private Families by Eliza Acton. This is from the 1847 publication, though based on the title page there may be earlier editions. 
Potato soup is a favorite of mine. Even better when it’s paired with leeks. Needless to say I may have improvised the recipe a bit. I can’t help it, soups were made to experiment with. 😬
Ingredients
- 3-4 oz butter
- 2 small leek (white and light green parts only) washed and trimmed
- 2 cup total mirepoix (chopped carrot, onion, celery)
- 3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
- 2-3 qt vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Melt the butter in a 4 quart or larger Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat.
- While the butter melts, slice the leek with a mandolin until it’s in very thin ribbons.
- Once the butter is melted, fold in the leek until coated with butter. Let the leeks cook down until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and browning. About 7 minutes.
- Add the mirepoix, some salt and pepper, and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes,stirring occasionally.
- While the leek and mirepoix cook, peel and slice the potatoes with the mandolin. The thinner the potato slices are, the faster they cook.
- Layer the potatoes over the vegetables, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and add a bay leaf.
- Cover with broth and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer, covered, until the potatoes reduce and turn translucent, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue to simmer until the potatoes and leek for another 10-15 minutes, or until all the potatoes and leek are completely tender and fall apart.
- Remove the bay leaf, and purée the liquid and vegetables with an immersion blender until you get a rich, creamy looking soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, let cool slightly and purée in batches in a regular blender.
- Thin out with additional broth, season as needed with additional salt and pepper.
- Serve with fresh croutons of sourdough bread fried in garlic butter.
This is an easy soup to make, and doesn’t take long at all. I got home from the Day Job at 4am and the entire pot was completed by 5am. Since there is no dairy, it could also be made in the pressure cooker (if you have one).
Pressure Cooker Directions
Note: I have an electric pressure cooker, and the following directions are for that. If you have a stovetop model, be sure to adjust the time accordingly.
- Follow steps 1-7 in your pressure cooker set on sauté.
- Cover and make sure your vent is set to sealing.
- Set the timer for 15 minutes
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally before removing the lid.
- Purée and season as before.
- Serve.
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Another great cool weather comfort is curling up with a good book. And this week, I’m lucky to pass the baton to a new-to-me author, AJ Andersen. Her first book Finding Faye is available on Amazon for $2.99 or free on KU.
AJ’s next book in the K&S Securities series, Acquiring Analise, is coming soon…as in November 8. So be sure to watch her website to see the OFFICIAL COVER REVEAL coming up this Friday. I’m so excited. Congrats AJ!
So, grab a mug of some potato leek soup, grab a copy of Finding Faye and be sure to stop by the Romance Writers Weekly to check out what other cool weather comforts you can find.
I’ll be living vicariously through you guys until it gets below 70° here. 😑