A little more food talk

If you’re one of those people who, like myself, ”live to eat” as opposed to those unfortunates who only “eat to live”, then you probably went to see “Julie and Julia” the movie. The movie, in case you know nothing about the film, is about a culinary legend who provides a frustrated office worker with a new recipe for life. The film depicts events in the life of chef Julia Child in the early years in her culinary career, contrasting her life with Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Child's cookbook during a single year, a challenge she described on her popular blog that would make her a published author.

If memory serves me correctly, the first recipe that Julie attempted was a soup called Potage Parmenter, a simple potato and leek soup, but a real tasty combination.

POTAGE PARMENTER

1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

1 pound leeks (or onions), diced

3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper

4-6 tablespoons heavy cream

2-4 tablespoons minced chives and parsley

Sliced radishes for garnish

1. Simmer the potatoes and leeks in salted water for 40 to 50 minutes, until soft.

2. Puree the vegetables with an immersion blender. Add the butter bits; then salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cream.

3. Pour into soup bowls and sprinkle on chives, parsley, and radishes. ~ “Bon Appetite”.

Soups have been on my mind for about a month now. The Men’s Club at my church started a Scholarship Program and to help finance this year’s awards they decided to hold a “Soup Night”. Well guess who opened his big mouth again? If you guessed yours truly then you guessed right. The Parish was invited to stop in after the Saturday Mass and partake of three different soups created by “Chef Rhino”. We didn’t charge (only requested a donation), so I had no idea how much to make. Well, I must have guessed right because at the end we were scraping the bottom of three big pots of, Cheese and Corn Chowder, Tuscan Chicken and Minestrone, one hundred and fifty servings. I’m getting a little too old for this kind of stuff, but the satisfaction of putting on a successful event keeps me saying yes and coming back for more.