Russian Mushroom and Potato Soup

This is one of our favorite soups.  It's not a creamy mushroom soup, nor a thick potato soup.  It's a simply delicious broth that has mushrooms and potatoes in.  Abe raves every time I make it, so it's made at least monthly, especially when mushrooms are on sale.

I've made it without the potatoes when I've realized too late that I don't have any, but it's really better with them.  If you can, make sure to use the leeks.  Onions can do in a pinch, but the flavor of the leeks really make it tasty.

Serve this up with a nice green salad and french bread.

I got this recipe off of Allrecipes.com.

Russian Mushroom and Potato Soup

Makes 12 servings (seems like a lot, but it is good for lunch the next day)

5 tablespoons butter, divided
2 leeks, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pound potatoes, peeled and diced (when I'm lazy, I don't peel them)
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup half and half (I've also used skim milk or a combo of milk-half and half to save on calories)
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Fresh dill weed, for garnish (optional)

1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Mix in leeks and carrots and cook 5 minutes.  Pour in broth.  Season with dill, salt, pepper and bay leaf.  Mix in potatoes, cover and cook 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender but firm.  Remove and discard bay leaf.

2.  Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms 5 minutes, until lightly browned.  Stir into soup.

3. In a small bowl, mix the half-and-half and flour until smooth.  Stir into the soup to thicken.  Garnish each bowl of soup with fresh dill to serve.