Spring Market

Heirloom tomatoes are here! Still very expensive, but as good as I remember them from the last summer. The little Armenian cucumbers have delicate skins and don't need to be peeled.
Kohlrabi that I sampled on the market was so sweet and crunchy that I had to take home a couple. Leeks and carrots for a soup, oranges for juice, regular stuff.

After a few hot days it's cold and windy again, but people realized that the winter is over and it's this season again - it was difficult to find a parking at the market or to get through the crowd.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, white part only, halved, washed and chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 small can whole tomatoes, minus 2 tomatoes that I ate

2 large cloves of smoked garlic (or raw garlic), chopped

1 Qt chicken stock

4 Tbsp heavy cream

salt, pepper

to garnish:

4 slices of baguette

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup grated cheese (any, to taste)

1 Tbsp minced herbs (parsley, oregano leaves)

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add leeks, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook untill tender, about 20 minutes, without browning. Add tomatoes with the juice, crush with a spatula, cook 10 more minutes. Add the stock, bring almost to boil. Let cool, puree in blender.

Brush the baguette slices with olive oil, broil on both sides untill golden. Top with the cheese, broil to brown.

Warm the soup gently over low heat. Wisk in the cream. Serve with the toasts, sprinkle with herbs.