A Soup To The Rescue / Une Soupe à La Rescousse

This soup is what helped us, my husband and I, from starving this past weekend after we had a stomach bug. You don’t know how important it is what you put into your body until you find your face distorted with pain.

I had big plans for this past weekend. Plans that involve a Thai lunch with my friend and her family, a Sunday breakfast perfumed with freshly baked cinnamon rolls and an afternoon walk to the park with my daughter and my husband.
Instead, all I can remember from this past weekend is the bathroom, blankets in the family room and questions like: “Are you feeling better? Did you take your medicine? Do you want something to eat?” To which all of the answers was an echoing: No!

It sucks to be sick!
It sucks to be sick on a weekend.
It sucks even more to be sick on a weekend and having to eat a bland, boring soup.
But this soup isn’t boring! No! Although it doesn’t have all the warm spices that I usually put in my soups, it is nonetheless very good, with a hint of sweetness from the leeks and a woody taste from the thyme and bay leaf. Because nobody likes dull soups, especially when you are sick.

Hope you all had a healthier weekend!

Feel Good Leek and Thyme Soup

Recipe: Serves 4
- 3 medium leeks, cleaned and roughly sliced
- 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled.
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried thyme (or fresh if available)
- 1 big bay leaf
- 4 cups water (or vegetable stock)
- Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions, garlic and leeks, and stir to coat them with the oil. Let them cook on a medium heat until lightly browned. Add the potatoes, thyme and bay leaves and stir again. Cover with the water. Add bay leaf, salt and pepper, and cover with a lid. Let simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf and blend the soup using a hand blender. Season if needed, and serve right away.

Soupe aux Poireaux et thym

In Francais Please: Pour 4 personnes
- 3 poireaux moyens, nettoyés et grossierement hachés
- 1 petit oignon, épluché et grossierement haché
- 2 grosses gousses d’ail, épluchées
- 1 petite c.s d’huile d’olive
- 1 c.s de thym séché (ou frais si disponible)
- 1 large feuille de laurier
- 1L d’eau (ou bouillon de legumes)
- Sel et poivre noir fraichement moulu

Faites chauffer l’huile d’olive dans une cocotte. Ajouter l’oignon, les gousses d’ail et les poireaux, puis mélanger pour bien couvrir les legumes d’huile. Laisser dorer pendant quelques minutes. Ajouter les pommes de terre, le thym et la feuille de laurier et mélanger encore. Couvrir d’eau. Assaisonner de sel, poivre et couvrir. Laisser mijoter jusqu’à ce que les pommes de terre deviennent tendres, environ 20 minutes. Retirer la feuille de laurier et mixer la soupe. Réctifier l’assaisonnement si nécessaire et servir tout de suite.