The last few weeks have been grey and rainy. This cold, damp fall weather has been great for working in the studio and for making big pots of our favourite soups. The most challenging part of cooking for me has been cutting onions as the process has always brought me to tears. I have tried lighting candles, running water, and various other suggested ideas for lessening the sting of onion tears but nothing has really worked for me! Not until Angie bought me these "way cool" onion goggles. What a joy to cut and sauté onions without crying!
Here's our one of our favourite soup recipes. Goggles came in handy for both the onions and the leeks! The ingredients are simple and it tastes delicious! We use a Cuisinart Hand Blender to purée our soups. You can use it right in the pot so it saves the mess of putting the soup in a traditional blender. This blender also makes great fruit smoothies!
LEEK AND POTATO SOUP
1 large onion, chopped
1 large or 2 medium leeks
2 large or 3-4 medium potatoes
3 cups soup stock or water (if using water, add bouillon cubes to taste)
Sauté the onion and leeks in a bit of olive oil in a large pot. Add stock or water and bouillon cubes and potatoes. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
Purée the soup right in the pot with the hand blender. Water (or milk) can be added to adjust consistency. Serve with a toasted piece of sourdough bread (homemade, if possible). Enjoy!
The only drawback of the onion goggles is that they don't fit over glasses. I got around that, though, by perching my glasses at the end of my nose!
Who needs to dress up for Hallowe'en?