Potato And Leek Soup

Ingredients

3 leeks, white part only

100 ml olive oil

1 brown onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, sliced finely

6 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-cm pieces boiling water or vegetable stock salt

150 ml cream (optional)

Method:

1. Slice the leeks in half lengthways and run under cold water to remove any dirt; drain and finely slice.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, onion and garlic and sauté until softened but without colouring, about 10 minutes. Then add the potatoes.

3. Add enough boiling water or stock to cover the vegetables by 3 cm and simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before blending. use a hand-held or benchtop blender and then strain the soup back into the pot. It is important but not entirely necessary to strain the soup as leeks can be quite stringy.

 5. Return to medium heat, bring just to the boil, and season with salt and cream, if desired, before serving.

HINTS AND TIPS:

* You will need—cutting board, cook’s knife, liquid measures, large pot, wooden spoon and hand-held blender (preferable for safety) or benchtop blender.

* The reason it is recommended for the soup to stand before blending is that it is extremely hot and can cause a nasty burn if rushing the blending stage.

* Use boiling water from the kettle—adding boiling water or stock will quicken the time it takes for the soup to come back to the boil.

* If I wanted a more dominant flavour from the leeks—enough to call the soup a ‘leek and potato’—I would double the quantity of leek and halve the potato quantity.

* To make a vichyssoise (chilled potato and leek soup) puree the soup and place in the refrigerator to cool completely. Check the seasoning and make sure it is very tasty before stirring in the cream