It's the peak of leek season here in Northern California, and easily the biggest improvement we've made to our vegetable soups is to make a quick stock from the

It's the peak of leek season here in Northern California, and easily the biggest improvement we've made to our vegetable soups is to make a quick stock from the green tops of our leeks, finely chopped, together with the vegetable odds and ends we always seem to have, such as celery leaves and the outer layer of the leek bulbs, then use the stock in place of water in the soup recipes. Simmering the stock for no longer than takes to make the rest of a minestrone is plenty, and the leek fragrance is amazing.