turmeric-spiked potato, leek and carrot soup

harvest fantasies and a heart of gold.
Turmeric-Spiked
Potato, Leek and Carrot Soup.

body warming/ soul warming.

I've been listening to a lot of Neil Young lately, and eating a lot of soup.

I'm not saying that the two are necessarily intertwined, but...

When the world is frozen and dark, Harvest is one of those albums that transports me.  Suddenly I'm outside on a warm night, a beer in hand, bare toes curled into dewey grass.  It seems counterintuitive, but the right kind of soup can have a similar effect. Sometimes the things that grow in winter can seem a little... sparse.  All the same old roots and scraggly greens.  But rounded up together in a bright, soup-y showcase, they can make summer and all of it's abundant growing things 

feel a little bit less out of reach.  

Music and soup to warm the (tired winter) soul.

Potato-Leek and 
Carrot Soup
(serves 4)

2 medium leeks
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 large carrots,
peeled and diced
about 1lb of fingerling, or other similarly waxy potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2Tbsp olive oil
2tsp sea salt
1tsp ground black pepper
2tsp turmeric
1Tbsp fresh lemon juice
6c unsalted vegetable stock or water

extra salt/pepper for seasoning

Wash, trim and slice white and light green parts of leeks into 1/8" thick discs.
Reserve some of the more tender green parts for garnish.
Preheat olive oil in a heavy bottomed stockpot over medium high heat.
Add garlic and leeks and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and caramelized.
Add carrots, potatoes, salt and pepper.
Cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring to combine.
Add stock, turmeric and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover partially
and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Using an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup,
leaving the larger chunks of vegetables intact.
This can also be done with a standard blender, by blending half of the soup,
then returning it to the pot.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Garnish with reserved leek tops and extra black pepper.