Leek Quiche

Crust: 2C flour, 2/3 cups butter, give or take 1/2 cup ice water
4T butter or oil
6 cups thinly sliced leeks
salt and pepper
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs
6 eggs at room temp
2 cups cream, half-and-half, or milk, heated just until warm

steps
1. preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake the chilled crust for 10-12
minutes. Reduce the temp to 325 degrees.
2. Put the butter or oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.
When hot, add the onion and some salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to
medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very
soft and lightly browned (at least 20 minutes, probably longer). Cook
until practically melted. Add the herbs, stir, turn off the heat and
cool slightly. Combine the eggs and cream in a bowl, then add the
onion mixture.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or
until almost firm. Cool on a wire rack.

Creamy Carrot Soup

3T butter or oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 pound carrots, roughly chopped
1 large starchy potato, peeled and roughly chopped
salt and pepper
5 cups stock
1/2 cup cream (optional)

steps
1. Put the butter or oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat.
Add the vegetables. Stir with salt and pepper and cook for about 15
minutes. Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are very tender,
15-20 minutes.
2. use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
3. if you want to include cream, add just before serving.

Cream of Tomato Soup

2 T olive oil
2 T tomato paste
1 large onion
1 carrot
salt and pepper
4 cups tomato (use preserved tomatoes or canned)
1 t thyme leaves
1 cup cream

steps
1. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and
let it cook for a minute, then add onion and carrot. Sprinkle with
salt and pepper and cook until onions soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomato and herb and cook until the tomato pieces break up
(10-15 minutes).
3. Add the cream and puree.

Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew

(from Smitten Kitchen)

1 pound Swiss chard (can also swap kale, spinach or another green), ribs and stems removed and cleaned
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (5 1/4 ounces) chopped carrots
1 cup (5 ounces) chopped celery
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) chopped shallots, about 4 medium
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 15-ounce cans (or about 3 3/4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (or more to taste) vegetable broth
1 cup pureed tomatoes (from a can/carton/your jarred summer supply)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook chard (or any heavier green; no need to precook baby spinach) for one minute, then drain and squeeze out as much extra water as possible. Coarsely chop chard.

Wipe out medium pot to dry it, and heat olive oil over medium. Add carrots, celery, shallots and garlic and saute for 15 minutes. Barber warns not to brown them but I didn’t mind a light golden color on them. Add wine (scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot) and cook it until it reduced by three-fourths. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as is drizzled with sherry vinegar. Or you can ladle the stew over thick piece of toasted country bread or baguette that has been rubbed lightly with half a clove of garlic, top that with a poached egg and a few drops of sherry vinegar and/or some grated cheese.