Always cook the vegetables for a creamy soup until tender, but no more than that. Spinach is tender in a couple of minutes; potatoes, cut into chunks, will require no more than ten or fifteen. Almost nothing will take longer than that. Cover the pot while the vegetables cook to prevent too much of the stock from evaporating.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 cup peeled potato chunks (about 1 large)

　　1 cup roughly chopped onion or leek, the leek well washed

　　3 cups chicken stock

　　1 cup milk or cream

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　Chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

　　

Step 1

Combine the potato, onion, and stock in a saucepan and simmer, covered, until the potato is tender, about 15 minutes. If you’re serving the soup cold, chill now (or refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month before proceeding).

　　

Step 2

Puree in a blender, in batches if necessary, until very smooth. Stir in the milk or cream and reheat gently (or chill again); do not boil. Season to taste—cold soups generally require more seasoning than hot ones—garnish with the parsley or chives, and serve.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.