Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Potato soup with red swiss chard

Soup is the perfect comfort food, and this soup is nice and thick, and smells like home.

We love using an immersion blender in soups. It's a lot safer than transferring hot liquids to a blender and dealing with the steam. An immersion blender usually costs less than $20, it's easy to wash (right away – don't let it sit), and it stores easily in a drawer.

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Potato Soup with Red Swiss Chard

Blue * Serves 4

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup potatoes, cut into chunks

2 carrots, sliced thick

1 bunch red swiss chard (about 1/2 pound), chopped

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil on medium heat and sauté onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, potatoes, carrots, chard, and bay leaf. Cook on medium high for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and chard are tender, then season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature then puree half of the soup in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Add the puree mixture to the pot and heat on medium. Mix well and serve.