Winter Weather

We're supposed to have snow and dangerous cold and wind tomorrow, starting around eleven, so I went out to the grocery, for the first time in about a week, and holy hell the prices have shot up. I was going to make leek and potato soup, but they wanted -- I kid you not -- thirteen dollars for one single fucking leek.

So we're having onion and potato soup instead. Celery was seven dollars for a spindly, wilted bunch. I checked the organic, and it was four dollars for a better bunch. Potatoes are still cheap at least, and we have some chicken stock left over from our dinner party.

All the cream is gone. The lady at the check out says its supply chains. Probably it's also everyone baking. There was still milk and half and half, so I got some of each. Potato soup is better with cream, but half and half works.

My recipe:

• a leek (or an onion)
• A carrot
• A stalk of celery
• One potato per person and one for the pot
• flour
• chicken or vegetable stock or water
• Pepper
• Salt
• Some sort of fat -- bacon grease is best

Cut up the leek, the onion, and the celery and cook them in a couple tablespoons of fat over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add about a tablespoon of flour and the pepper and cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes. You want to wake up the spices and cook the flour. You can add a little curry powder or some garlic at this point too.

Add a little water or stock. Stir to mix. Cut up the potatoes -- you can peel if you want, but I like the peels on. They should be diced, more or less. Add more stock, enough to cover the potatoes, and then bring to a boil, while stirring. Once its boiling, turn down to low heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Taste the broth to make sure it's salty enough (there's salt in the bacon grease and in the stock, probably) and add salt if not.

Pull out some of vegetables and mash. Return to soup and stir. Add cream or half and half or milk -- as much as you want. I like a lot. Then bring to a simmer again. 

Eat with toast or crackers.