“There are nearly a thousand years of history in this soup.”
~Bishop Jean Marie Latour, in Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather, 1927.
This first soup is based on leeks, which Father Valliant calls “the king of vegetables.” This Julia Child recipe is included in At Willa Cather’s Tables: The Cather Foundation Cookbook, edited by Ann Romines. This beautifully illustrated cookbook can be purchased at https://shop.willacather.org/at-willa-cathers-tables-cookbk.html. At Willa Cather’s Tables lets you experience and enjoy (and cook!) recipes from her work, her family and friends, the places that were meaningful to her, and from the Cather Foundation and its loyal friends, including recipes from Eating the Past host Evelyn Funda.
Potage Bonne Femme (French Leek Soup)
3 tablespoon butter
3 cups minced leeks (white part only)
3 tablespoon flour
2 quarts hot water
1 tablespoon (or less) salt & pepper to taste
1 cup tender green leek tops, minced (optional)
4 cups boiling potatoes, in 3/8-inch dice
1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream
2-3 tablespoon butter, optional
2-3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley and/or chives
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a 3-4 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in leeks, cover pan, and cook slowly for 5 minutes without browning. Then blend in flour and stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes to cook the flour without browning it. Remove from heat, let cool a moment, and gradually beat in a cup or so of the hot water. Blend in thoroughly, then stir in remaining water. Stir in the salt and pepper, optional green of leek, and potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer partially covered for about 40 minutes, until vegetables are thoroughly tender. Lightly mash the vegetables in the pan with a mixing fork or potato masher. Blend in as much of the cream as you wish, then blend in the optional butter. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary. Serve the soup garnished with the fresh herbs. Makes about 8 cups.
Optional variation: for the 2 quarts hot water, substitute 6 cups hot water and 2 cups milk. Add the 2 cups milk at the end, just before the cream (soup will curdle if you add it with the water.
(Recipe is originally from Julia Child’s From Julia Child’s Kitchen, 1975)
Caramelized Onion Soup with Marjoram (Evelyn Funda)
This second recipe is my own variation on a classic French onion soup recipe, with the main difference being the addition of marjoram, an herb that is fantastic with beef broth-based soups.
Marjoram adds a floral fragrance and a subtle woodsy, slightly sweet flavor that I love. If you don’t have marjoram, you can substitute a bouquet garni of rosemary tied up in cheesecloth. Remove before serving.
Melt 3 tablespoons of a good butter in a heavy soup pot. Add 2 cups of thinly-sliced yellow onions and cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally. The goal is to cook the onions “low and slow” until they are a lovely caramelized color (not brown). This can take 30-40 minutes. Then add 6 cups of a good beef broth and 1 clove of minced garlic. Cover and cook soup for 15 minutes or so. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste (I like plenty of pepper), and add 1 teaspoon of dried or fresh marjoram. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Don’t add the marjoram any sooner than 10 minutes before serving because the fragrance and taste of the herb will disappear the longer you simmer the soup.
To serve in the classic way, ladle soup into oven-safe bowls that you’ve placed on a baking sheet, top with toasted bread and a shreds of Gruyère cheese and then pop under a broiler for a few minutes to get the cheese melted and slightly brown.
However, I serve mine in a simplified way by ladling into bowls and topping with good garlic-flavored croutons (either homemade or from the salad dressing aisle) and a generous amount of shredded Parmesan cheese. The heat of the soup will melt the cheese.
To check out Evelyn’s illustrated article about Mushroom-hunting in Cather’s My Ántonia, see https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=louisepound
