French Women Don't Get Fat, part 2

Part two is at least 48 hours of Magical Leek Soup

"For in America, I had gotten into some habits: eating standing up, not making my own food, living off whatever (n’importe quoi, as the French say), as other kids were doing. Brownies and bagels were particular hazards; we had nothing quite like them at home, so who could tell how rich they were?

Forty eight hours of Leek Soup.

Dr. Miracle, the family physician who helped me wake up and recover from my weight gain, was something of a gourmand. He gave me a number of recipes, but none more important than the one he gave me for the first, and only, “tough” weekend. On reflection, it wasn’t so tough at all, because of his “magical leek soup,” a trick used by many of the local women for generations. He had pscribed it to both my mother and grandmother at one point or another.

Leeks are a mild diuretic, and 48 hours or so of leek soup would provide immediate results to jump-start the recasting. For me, it was the start of a lifelong commitment to wellness as well as the beginning of my appreciation, my love, of leeks, about which there is much more to say. It is a trick I still use from time to time; do try it the first weekend.

It’s a pretty basic regimen: The juice is to be drunk (reheated or room temperature to taste) every 2-3 hours, a cup at a time. This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4 – 6oz.–don’t lose that scale yet!), with two vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or oil, and a piece of fruit.

Recipe for Magical Leek Soup 
Serves one for the weekend

2 lbs. leeks
Water to cover in a large pot

1. Clean leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut end of green parts leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of green. (Reserve the extra greens for soup stock.

2. Put leeks in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer with no lid for 20-30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season sparingly with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley if you wish, and voilà!

When completed part two, then move on to part three . . .