Soup Season!

It's officially fall here in Provence: the Mediterranean has fallen below bathing-without-a-wetsuit temperatures, the four month summer drought has been brought to a close by days of torrential rain, and wild mushrooms are sprouting right and left. (No worries, a whole post devoted to mushrooms will be on its way soon!) Some may lament their fading tan lines, but for me, it's time to celebrate. Fall means I can finally break out one of my favorite dishes: SOUP.

I'll start you out with a hearty soup that's been a standby for me since my arrival here, not to mention one that's sure to warm you up on cold nights. Don't be fooled - served with a slice or two of whole-grain bread, this is a meal all on its own. I'll apologize in advance for the photo, which doesn't do this soup justice at all.

Potato Leek Soup

4 potatoes
2 leeks
1/4 head of cauliflower
1 onion
1/2 liter of vegetable or chicken bouillon
3/4 cup whole cream
3/4 cup milk
Olive oil, butter, salt, pepper to taste

Peel and cube the potatoes. Boil them in the vegetable bouillon for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are quite soft.
After starting the potatoes, chop the cauliflower into small pieces and sautee for 2-3 minutes in a large frying pan with olive oil. Then add the cauliflower to the boiling potatoes and cover.
Chop the leeks and onion; sautee them in olive oil in the same pan you used for the cauliflower. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow the leeks and onion to sautee until they become translucent, about 10 minutes.
Once everything is finished, remove the pot with the potato and cauliflower from heat. Add cream, milk, leeks, and onion to the mixture and mash until the soup reaches your desired consistency. You can use an electric mixer to get a very smooth result, or a whisk to leave it a bit chunkier.

Serve topped with a bit of fresh parsley. Bon appetit!