We finally have winter in northern California. No, no snow. Winter here is defined as lots of rain and overnight temps in the 30s and 40s. And when it comes to defining winter food, soup is what usually comes to mind.
I played around with some ingredients I had on hand and came up with a new-to-me soup. Fortunately, this one turned out good so I’m willing to share it. This recipe is going to be very casual, just the way I made it.
- In my large pot (2 quarts) I heated about a tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat.
- I added two cups of chopped leeks and two cloves of minced garlic.
- I stirred and cooked that for about five minutes until the leeks became soft.
- Then I added a large box (32 oz.) of chicken stock. I turned down the heat to medium low. (This would have been better if I’d had some homemade chicken or vegetable stock, but I didn’t have any. I’ve got to get to it. After all, it’s soup season.)
- Then I added two cut-up potatoes and stirred everything. I covered the pot and cooked about ten minutes.
- Next, I opened a can of artichoke hearts. Artichokes? Well, why not give it a try. I drained them and cut off the stem. I chopped them fine, and added them to the soup. I covered the pan again and cooked it for another ten or fifteen minutes.
- As to seasonings, I only added about a half a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. My husband added a bit more salt and pepper, but for me, that was enough.
Result: Not over the top Wow, but quite delicious. It was just right with a grilled cheese sandwich. I’d love to see what else can be done with this combination. Besides being delicious, it was a one-pot dish and easy. I just did a little chopping and stirring. All in less than an hour. Not bad for a cold winter day.
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, a weekly feature at Beth Fish Reads. Click the button below and it will take you there.
This sounds and looks good! I make your Potato Soup all of the time so I trust your cooking instincts on this one!!
This sounds great! California is so big on artichokes!
My kind of soup — warming, simple, great ingredients and perfect with grilled cheese. I bet the artichokes added a great flavor.
I like the addition of artichokes; I never would have thought of that.
This does sound delicious! I probably would have added a little more pepper too. Our winters are about the same as yours.
I’m reading this as we get the first real snowfall of the season. Sounds perfect for a warming dinner tonite!
Looks like a great soup, warm and filling! Love artichokes! We’re having our first big snow, would be perfect for the cold winter’s day!
Margot, I want to give you the recipe of the so simple French potatoes and leeks soup ; You have just to peel and chop in small pieces 2,2 pounds (1kg)( of potatoes in a pot. You add 6,3 cups 1,5l) of cold water and make them boil. Then you put in the pot 2 or 3 chopped leeks and salt. You cook until potatoes and leeks are soft (about 20 or 30 minutes). When you serve, you add cream or soja cream in each plates and pepper. That’s all !
That looks yummy! An excellent starting point for experimentation, too. I might add spinach or another cooking green at the last moment.
i love soup! and yours looks very delicious. the only thing i would have done was to blend it smooth, because if my girls see “chunks of veggies” they start asking questions, or start picking things out & saying they don’t like it. smooth-soup ends the argument, blends all those flavors together, and makes a tasty dip to plunge your sandwich into… i think i’m going to try the artichoke addition to my standard potato leek soup.
P.S. that bowl really shows off your soup!
Yum. Will have to try it. Just got a few leeks from farm coop and was trying to figure out what to do with them.
I say a bowl of this humble soup with a grilled cheese is a perfect cold-weather meal. Perfect. Sounds great!
This sounds delicious. I love soups, especially when the weather gets cold. We’ll have to give this one a try!
I like the idea of adding the artichokes. They don’t appear in many of my recipes but I do like them. Thanks.
Sounds good even if its not cold outside! I actually make soup every once in a while — even in Florida, you can’t live on salad all the time ;>)
I have never eaten an artichoke!
Sounds delish! You’ve given a craving for leeks.
I love the many variates of soups that I see on blogs
It gives so much inspiration to try new soups 
Eww, this is so good. This has been my winter of soups so this is perfect.
I bet artichokes and potatoes go great together!! I’ve only just recently discovered leeks but I’m wondering what the heck took me so long!
I think I’ll pass on the artichoke hearts! My family is quite fond of them, but me, not so much. My recipe for leek and potato soup is based on one from Gladys Taber. It’s here if you’re interested, Margot.
http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/2008/04/vegetables.html
You’ll see I’ve played around with it a bit over the years. :<)
Good for you creating your own soup! I love that thrill of the new.
This is mind blowing soup which make the human fresh and healthy .Thanks for sharing this information with us.