Potato Mushroom and Leek Soup

One of the things I hate to do is find my refrigerator full of old, expired, rotten food, so I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself for using the leeks and mushrooms (two things I'm not very familiar with) in one really yummy recipe. I'm not overly fond of mushrooms, but will eat them if I don't have to look at them too closely. As I cooked up the very finely chopped mushrooms and transfered them into the soup pot, I worried that I was ruining what had been looking like a really great dinner, but I was wrong and all was well. I served it with some bread and a bit of shredded parmesan. I wasn't sure how the kids would feel about the soup, but none of them complained. (Probably because they know better.) Quincy ate a full bowl and didn't suffer any ill effects.

Here's the recipe:Potato Mushroom Leek Soup

2 leeks, finely chopped (white part only) 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 potatoes (Yukon Gold), chopped 2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
2 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup water
3 cups chicken broth salt, pepper, and celery salt,
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 ounces chopped Crimini mushrooms 1 cup milk

In a skillet, cook leek, garlic, and potato in 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil over medium low heat, stirring often. Do not allow potato to brown.
Place mustard, salt, pepper, celery salt, and flour together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in water and chicken broth until well blended. Stir into potato mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour.
Mash softened potatoes by hand so they remain lumpy. Stir in Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses until melted, then add milk but do not boil. Cook mushrooms over medium high heat in remaining 1 tablespoon of butter until soft. Add to the soup, and stir. Serve immediately with croutons, if desired.

Leslie... the food processor was a huge help in getting all this food chopped and grated. It even helped me chop my favorite spatula! I decided that I would try to shove some of the leeks in a little further while the blades were still going. Even as I was doing it, I knew that it was a dumb idea, but I was certain that I would be able to push the leeks down without touching the blades and I was only going to do it for a second. Well, that was dumb. Good thing I didn't decide to poke it with my finger!

The food processor was not harmed in the making of this soup.