Cooking on deadline: Leek soup is humble but elegant, quick yet complex
No matter how many dazzling things we have the good fortune to eat in our lives, we often remember the simplest meals with as much power and affection as the fanciest. A humble, pureed vegetable soup is among those particular pleasures. Also, Proustian prose aside, if you're feeling lazy, you can get from a few ingredients to deliciousness in no time.
The only work involved here is remembering to stir the leeks fairly often for 20 minutes. You'll want to keep them on medium-low heat and take the full amount of cooking time so they become meltingly tender and only lightly browned; turning up the heat to rush the process may result in them burning, and they won't get as lushly soft over higher heat.
You could absolutely add some fresh herbs here, from basil to thyme to plain old parsley if you want a different twist, but taste the soup as-is first. You may very well want to stick with the simple version where the flavor of the leeks shines through unobstructed (it's a bit richer than you might think). If you do want to add fresh herbs, they can be added at the end when you puree the soup, or just strew a few leaves, chopped or whole, on top of each serving.
Use vegetable broth and the soup is vegetarian. Skip the cream (and use an extra tablespoon of oil instead of the butter) and it is dairy-free and vegan. It can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Either reheat over low heat, or serve chilled. It will thicken in the fridge, so may need an extra glug or two of broth or water.
• Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, "Dinner Solved!" and "The Mom 100 Cookbook." She blogs at http://www.themom100.com/about-katie-workman. She can be reached at Katie@themom100.com.