Potages

What a delicious soup, you cannot help saying to yourself as you breathe in its appetizing aroma, and then its full homey flavor fills your mouth.  There is nothing to mask the taste of those fresh vegetables--no canned stock, no enhancers, preservatives, additives--nothing but the vegetables themselves and a final enriching fillip of cream or butter.  This is homemade soup in its primal beauty, to me, and although I love many others, it is leek and potato that I dream of.  And it couldn't be simpler to make--saute the leeks briefly in butter to release their flavor, stir in a little flour to make the light liaison that will hold the vegetables in suspension, add potatoes, water, and salt, and cook until done, as the old books used to say--30 to 40 minutes in a saucepan, or 5 minutes in the pressure cooker.  Puree the soup if you wish, or serve it in peasanty chunks; add a dollop of cream for each serving, and that's all there is to it.
Julia Child, From Julia Child's Kitchen