Apparently you have to make soup twice

This evening I made two soups, one for the second time.

About two weeks ago, I attempted to make Potato and Leek Soup from my new cookbook, How to Cook Everything: The Basics by Mark Bittman. I freely confess my sin: I did not follow the recipe, and the soup was a disaster. Didn’t peel the potatoes, added an extra onion and too much apple cider vinegar. Wrong proportion of water to vegetables. It was inedible. I poured it down the sink.

This evening, I attempted to make Garlicky White Bean Soup. Having learned my lesson, I followed the recipe. (It called for an entire head of garlic.) Only I covered the pot while it simmered, and enough liquid did not boil off, something innocent that turned out to be vital to the overall success of the meal. Therefore, I had extremely watery Garlicky White Bean soup. Alas, down the sink.

So, faced with dinner the same as lunch unless I cooked something else, I decided to give Potato and Leek Soup another try. I read the directions carefully. Did exactly as they said. Also, left the pot uncovered. And you know what?

The second time’s the charm when it comes to soups.