Column from July 23, 2009

This is my dad’s 1970 Dodge Polara at a car show in Akron, Ohio,

after his brother-in-law restored it to original condition.

Revving up a great soup in the kitchen

I grew up at the time when some of the cars seen at Kiwanis Park here in Othello last weekend (July 18) were new … or almost new.

The late ‘60s-early ‘70s was a time of muscle cars. Big V8 engines roared to life under the hoods of Chevys, Ford, Mopars and AMCs.

Even the smaller engines had power and it wasn’t uncommon to see a drag race or two on the weekends.

Those were the days when people didn’t worry about fuel economy.

My first car was a 1972 Mercury Comet GT with a 302 motor and an automatic on the floor. It was a real go-getter. My dad used to show up where I worked and trade cars with me. He drove a 1970 Dodge Polara convertible with a 389. (I learned to drive behind the wheel of that car.)

His car would go faster in the long run, but mine was zippy off the line. He would leave me his keys and take off peeling my tires across the street while I watched out the window and cringed.

I kept my little Comet for many years. I imagine it eventually ended up in a wrecking yard somewhere.

My stepmother’s brother ended up with the Dodge and he restored that beast to its original splendor. As far as I know, he still has it.

This week, Linda Boothman shares another of her great recipes. She said she makes this soup in large quantities at the end of the summer when there are plenty of tomatoes from the garden. She said it’s good with or without the milk.

Leek potato tomato soup

3/4 pound leeks or 1/2 pound onions, chopped

1-1/2 tablespoon butter

3/4 pound tomatoes, scalded, peeled and roughly chopped

3/4 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons sugar

2-1/2 cups water

Salt and pepper

Milk

Prepare all vegetables as noted. Melt butter on low in big, thick-bottomed saucepan. Add leeks or onions and cook slowly until soft. Add tomatoes and cook slowly until juice starts to run. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, water and sugar.

Cover pan and simmer 20 minutes until vegetables are soft. Take off heat. Cool a while.

To make the soup smooth, put in blender for one minute. Pour back in pan and reheat it gently. Adjust seasoning.

This soup can be frozen or add a little milk and serve right away.

You, too, can contribute a recipe for Table Scraps. Send your recipes to labordi@hotmail.com.

Please include a paragraph or two about the recipe, where you got it, anything special about it, etc.