Curried Potato Leek Soup

This is my take on the wintry potato leek soup that warms the bones and soothes the stomach.  Hearty, delicious, vegetarian.  It would be equally delicious in a vegan version, simply eliminating the cream.

A note about preparing leeks:  Leeks are grown in sandy soil.  They need to be very well-cleaned to remove sand from between the layers.  Trim the dark green, bitter and thick tops and roots from the leek.  Reserve these frozen for making broth at a later date.  Slice the leeks lengthwise in half and then in about 1/2" rounds.  Put the leeks in a colander, and put the colander in your very clean sink filled with water.  Swish the leek slices around vigorously and then drain.  Repeat.  Repeat one time more than you think necessarily.  Drain as needed for your recipe.  There is little more unpleasant than biting in to a clump of sand in your soup or other dish.

INGREDIENTS
2T extra virgin olive oil and/or soy butter
1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 dried chilis
pinch of sea salt
2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sliced (blanched, freshly canned, fresh or frozen) carrots
3 leeks, sliced and well-rinsed
3 cups of potatoes, 1/2-1" dice
8 cups of liquid (4 vegetable broth, 4 water works well)
1T hot madras curry powder
1/2T oregano
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1/2 cup lentils (red or green are fine)
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
freshly ground black pepper

OPTIONAL GARNISHES
chives, parsley or other fresh herb (sage is nice)
grated sharp cheddar cheese

RECIPE
Heat a heavy stock pot over medium until surface is hot.  Add your oil or soy butter and then add the chopped onion, garlic, dried peppers and pinch of salt (maybe 1/4 t). Cook, stirring frequently until the onions become soft and translucent. You might add a couple grinds of pepper at this point.

Now, turn the heat up to medium high and add your potatoes and mushrooms.  Mix them in and allow them to begin to sizzle.  Add the remainder of the ingredients (aside from garnishes of course) and bring to a boil.

As soon as your soup starts boiling, reduce the heat to a very light simmer and cook until everything is cooked through (about an hour).

If you choose the vegan version and leave the heavy cream out, once the soup is cooked through, you will want to remove and blend 2-3 cups of the soup to a puree and add back to the soup for a nice creamy consistency.

A COUPLE OF WORDS ON BROTHS:  use a high quality vegetable broth or one you make on your own.  It is easy to make your own broth and a great way to use vegetable scraps or vegetables that aren't so fresh and beautiful anymore.  If you aren't vegetarian and have access to a wonderful, organic chicken broth, that works very well here, just reduce the broth amount to 3 cups broth and 5 cups water. On a very interesting twist, I occasionally use a can of low-fat low-salt split pea soup and make the remainder of the liquid water.  You are developing so much flavor here, you can be very creative.  Note that many veggie broths have the first ingredient as onion (and will be oniony) and others are more balanced and the first ingredient is carrot.  In this recipe, either works well.

Once the soup is cooked, serve immediately, garnishing with chopped chives, parsley and maybe a sprinkling of cheddar cheese.  Enjoy!