Something in the air today said "Potato Leek Soup." Never one to disobey the air, I grabbed the handful of recipe ideas and notes I'd collected over the years, and set out to make a damn good pot of soup. A few hours later – and with almost no false starts or mishaps – I'd crafted this final recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Recipe

3 Large Potatoes
4 Large Leeks
3 Tbsp. Butter
4 - 4½ Cups Chicken Broth (less broth makes a thicker soup)
1 ½ Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp. Celery
2 Tbsp. Shallots
2-3 Garlic Cloves
¼ - ½ Tsp. Salt (to taste)
Pinch of Freshly Ground Pepper (to taste)
Dash of Marjoram
Chives and Parsley to Garnish

Separate and thoroughly clean the leeks – remember that leeks grow in sandy soil, and have lots of layers to hide bits of dirt. For the best results, cut the leeks in half lengthwise before rinsing, then rinse each layer separately. Now, chop off the dark green ends – although it's safe to use the entire leek, the best flavor/texture comes from the white and palest green parts. Chop the leeks into ¼ to ½ inch pieces and set them aside.

Peel the potatoes, then wash them in cold water to remove excess starch. Chop them into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces, making sure to remove any bad spots/blight. (If you're doing all the chopping in advance, you can let the cut potatoes soak in a bowl of cold water, then simply rinse them before adding them to the soup. This will keep them white, and like the initial rinsing, will remove extra starch – which doesn't do anything to improve the flavor of the soup.)

Chop the celery into ¼ inch pieces (or smaller) – for the best flavor take the two tablespoons from about two thirds up the stalk.

Melt the butter in a large pot, then add the salt, pepper, garlic, and leeks. Gently sauté the leeks until they start to turn shiny and clear. Remember to stir often or constantly when sautéing, and don't let the leeks start to brown – brown leeks will give the soup a burnt flavor. Once the leeks are cooked, add the chicken broth, potatoes, celery, and shallots. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. (Check the potatoes with a fork – if they're soft enough to make mashed potatoes, they're soft enough for the soup.) Reduce the heat to low, then scoop approximately half the soup – focusing on the potatoes, more than the leeks – into a blender, and beat until smooth. (If you use an immersion blender, target the potatoes, and try not to liquefy the leeks.) Return the blended soup to the pot, then fold in the cream and marjoram. Stir until the soup is uniform in texture and color, then remove from heat. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley and chopped chives. For a spicier garnish, top your bowl with a turn of cracked black pepper, or a light dusting of cayenne.

Makes about 4 1/2 (yummy) quarts.

Fall is pretty much here. Right about now, my tastes start to run to simmering, yummy-smelling, single-pot Sunday dinners. Since my last two posts have been heavy socio-political essays, I thought my Autumn food preferences would be a good pretext to change the tone of The Frank Spot – if only for a short time. Thus, I give you my classic Hungarian Goulash recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

About This Recipe

This recipe originated in the 1965 printing of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book – my all-time favorite cookbook. I’ve made some (significant) changes to improve the flavor and texture of the dish, but without compromising the character of the original recipe.

The Recipe

3 lbs. Ground Beef (80-90% lean, based on preference)
2 28oz Cans Diced or Crushed Tomatoes (with juice)
3 ½ Cups Chopped Onions (anything but Red!)
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil (for browning)
½ Can Tomato Paste
¼ Cup Flour
1 ½ tsp. Salt (plus a pinch for browning)
¼ tsp. Black Pepper or Cayenne Pepper
¼ tsp. Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
4 Tbsp. Paprika
2 ½ Cups Sour Cream
¾ lbs. Elbow Macaroni

Heat olive oil and a pinch of salt (or two, according to preference) in a large nonstick pot. (You’re going to use this pot for the whole meal, so make sure it’s big enough to hold everything…) Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Lightly brown the ground beef in hot oil, half at a time if necessary. Drain a majority of the fat – keeping about half a cup for flavor and continued browning – then add the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onions are just beginning to become transparent. Blend in dry ingredients, and stir until the meat, onions, and garlic are thoroughly coated. Next, add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and bring the mixture to a slow boil. Reduce the heat, and let the goulash simmer – with frequent stirring – until the tomatoes are tender. Add the sour cream, and stir until completely blended. Continue simmering until the goulash is piping hot again (the sour cream will cool it down more than you’d expect!). In the meantime, bring the elbow macaroni to a boil in a separate pot, and cook until al dente. Drain the elbows, then add them to the goulash and stir until well blended. Serve immediately, garnishing each bowl with a sprinkle or sprig of parsley. Serves 6 with leftovers.

Cooking Tip: If you plan to have a lot of leftovers, DON’T add the macaroni to the goulash; serve the goulash over a bed of elbows instead, then repeat the process for the leftovers. This will prevent the elbows from becoming mushy in subsequent reheating. You may also find that the sour cream loses it’s potency in the refrigerator – an extra dollop in each bowl of leftover goulash will bring back the zest of the original meal. And don't forget the parsely – it's mostly for show, but presentation counts, even with leftovers.

What's This? A Recipe???

So you might be wondering: "How is this relevant?" It's not. I just like cookies. And if you've been reading my blog, you'll know that I mentioned recipes as occasional content here. This counts as one of those occasions.

About This Recipe

I've been searching for a really good — great, in fact — chocolate chip cookie recipe for about 15 years now. I'd always loved to cook, but I was never much of a baker, so I didn't want to start from scratch. And before the internet was a real part of my life, all I could do was look at commercial cookbooks, and poll people I thought of as decent bakers. But I never found a recipe that produced the ideal homemade flavor I remembered from childhood. Then came the internet: not just a career space for me, but a new part of my daily routine. I redoubled my search and started baking all over again.

I still didn't have much luck, but I was persistent: lots of ingredients, lots of oven lightings, and lots of mediocre cookies. Finally, I was inspired to just start working with other recipes, and tweaking individual ingredients in a search for the right mix. This recipe is the current iteration of the tweaking process. It's not 100% where I want it to be, but it makes a mighty good cookie. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

By the way, if you're wondering about the name — the base recipe is one of the many Famous Amos recipes out there. I’m not so famous, and I’m not Amos...

The Recipe

1 ¼ Cups Packed Dark Brown Sugar
¾ Cup White Sugar
1 ½ Cups Butter (Soft but not melted)
½ Cup Vegetable Oil (Canola, Corn, or even Olive)
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 ½ Tsp. Salt
½ Tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
2 ½ Cups Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips (Milk chocolate chips work too, but they make a swee-eet cookie – use at your own risk!)

Makes: a ridiculous amount of cookies.

Thoroughly cream Sugars, Butter, Oil, Egg, and Vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine Flour, Salt, Cream of Tartar, and Baking Soda. Add dry ingredients by halves into the wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Add Chocolate chips (and the nuts of your choice if you’re into that kind of thing). You’ll want to bake these cookies right away, and make sure not to chill or refrigerate the dough — they lose flavor and consistency if chilled. (If you do need to refrigerate, just make sure you let the dough come back to room temperature before you start baking. That will help preserve at least some of the original flavor.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drop cookies by heaping tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes, but beware: the cookies will not brown. (11 minutes is just about right in my oven.) Let cookies stand on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring to cooling rack. (The cookies are incredibly soft and gooey when they first come out of the oven; without the standing time, you can end up with a lot of misshapen and broken cookies. They’ll taste fine, but you might just be ridiculed by friends and loved ones for not making nice, round cookies...)

Eat and enjoy! I'll be back soon with another deep post.

Postscript: An Updated Recipe

Only a week after posting this recipe, I've done some additional tweaking — so the one you see above has changed from what was originally posted. If you tried and liked the original, you'll probably like this one even more. If you haven't tried the original, skip it and try this one instead.

Updated: 7/26/08