Potato and Endive Chowder

2 to 4 tablespoons butter
3 white Belgian endives, chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 large leeks, white parts only, finely chopped and rinsed (about 3 cups)
1 pound boiling or yellow potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 carrots, grated
Aromatics: 1 bay leaf, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 parsley branches
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup light cream 
4 to 6 slices country bread
Thinly sliced Gruyere or Swiss cheese to cover the bread
Minced parsley and/or thyme

Melt the butter in a wide, heavy soup pot and add the endives and leeks.  Cook over medium-high heat for several minutes, then add the potatoes, carrots, and aromatics.  Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, lower the heat to medium, and cook the vegetables, turning them occasionally until they smell very aromatic and are browned in places, about 10 minutes.

Add 7 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, partially uncovered, until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.  Press a few potatoes against the side of the pot to break them up and give the soup body.  Add the cream, then taste for salt and season with pepper.

Toast the bread, then melt the cheese over it.  Set the toasts in soup plates, then ladle the chowder over the bread, sprinkle with parsley and/or thyme, and serve.


Serves 4.

From Vegetable Soups by Deborah Madison