I stopped an old man called Omar on the street today to say hello. I hadn’t seen him in a few years. He is from faraway lands, loves his cigarettes and his dog called Lollipop. I told him I was starting another cafe. “Yea, good” he said. And then he looked at me.
“Stay healthy. Very important. You stay healthy.”
“Okay” I said.
“You are too skinny. Think of your health.”
“Okay” I said.
So I came home and made lettuce soup. Not that that is going to fatten me up, but I love it. Not just because I am weird, but because it is truly delicious. And for what ails me, I could use double abyss of All That I Love.
If you want give your walk some wiggle, add a good dollop of creme fraiche.
Buy Romaine that’s got some dirt on it; rinse it off by soaking it in a bowl of cold and ample water. Roughly chop. Slice a leek down the middle and then into about 4 chunks. Separate and soak in it’s own bowl of water. Lift out and dry well. Saute in a spill of excellent olive oil w/a bit of sea salt and a grind of pepper. Add two small cloves of garlic w/out chopping. Rinse off two small to medium red and juicy new potatoes. They are ready right about now. Chop them up and add to the leek. Let them stick to the pan and then stir around a bit. Add a few sprigs of thyme; give it a stir. Add the lettuce and a teeny bit of butter. Give it another stir and water to nearly cover. Simmer until the potatoes are tender. Puree with your immersion blender and taste again for salt and pepper.
What a soup.