Comfort Food: In Honor of My Amazing Father

May 19th is my father’s birthday. If he were still alive, he would be celebrating his 86^th year. Instead, I will be celebrating my father by making the soup that started me on my healing foods journey 16 years ago.

In late April 1994, my father was diagnosed with cancer that had lodged in his spine and had spread to other organs. He passed away on June 6, 1994, just weeks after being diagnosed. My father was a lover of family and food, and our family dinners--with menus both simple and and grand--are some of my best childhood memories--and were one of his greatest pleasures. He also loved gardening, and had a magnificent herb garden where he grew myriad herbs that he loved to use in our cooking.

It was so hard to watch this disease take over our father and invade our family so quickly. My brave father never complained about his illness, but we knew that he knew best how bad it was. He began to lose his appetite, and would wave away the trays of bland hospital food and Jell-O that were wheeled into his room. One afternoon, while cajoling him to drink a protein shake, I asked “Daddy, what would you like to eat?” He looked at me and said “your leek and potato soup.”

I inherited a love of food and cooking from my parents, and spent lots of time reading cookbooks, trying out new recipes on my family and studying the cuisines of every country I had the good fortune to travel to. A leek and potato soup that I learned to make from friends in France made its way into our family’s favorite things, and my father loved this soup garnished with fresh chervil or chives (or both!) from our herb garden served with a crusty baguette and butter.

I left the hospital that evening, stopped to buy the leeks and potatoes, and went out to the garden to gather the herbs he tended so lovingly. I brought him the soup, along with a few other of his favorite comfort foods, and he ate for the first time in a few days. The smile on his face when he tasted the creamy soup let me know that it was familiar and satisfying.

So tonight, I will make this soup for my family in honor of my wonderful Father. And I will toast the man who taught me so much about family, love, and the pleasure of good, comforting food. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Leek and Potato Soup

4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 bunches leeks, washed scrubbed and cut to about 1 inch above the white part of the leeks

3 tablespoons butter

3 cups chicken stock

sea salt/freshly ground pepper

¼ cup chopped chives or chervil, or both

¼ cup heavy cream

Slice leeks into thin rounds. Saute in butter for about 5 minutes until transparent. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into medium dice. Add to the leeks and stir another 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, and make sure it covers the mixture. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through. In large bowl of food processor or blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return to heat and add salt and pepper and cream. Adjust with additional cream, salt, pepper or stock to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chives/chervil. Serve with warm baguettes and creamy butter.