Leek and potatoes
Yummy leek and potato soup. Photo Fiona Feasey
I was walking past the Takaka Infusion the other day and the smells wafting out were unbearably good.
“Soup”? I enquired.
“Yes…leek and potato.” Ahhhh.
I buy The Press and in the Zest section there is a recipe for soup. Leek and potato.
Now it’s 5pm, raining and cold outside, but I visit the garden anyway. What to make with what we’ve got? Soup. Leek and potato, of course.
For a soup with so few ingredients, this is still one of the most flavourful. If you want to play around with leftovers the next day, it’s also one of the most adaptable soups, and will be complemented by all manner of additions. Chicken, corn, spinach, fried chorizo, blue cheese, bacon, herbs, mussels…all great enhancers to a leek and potato soup that the whole family can enjoy.
Called Potage Bonne Femme, Vichyssoise, Potage Parmentier, or Homely Leek and Potato, this soup is delicious both hot and cold. Right now there is only one way to enjoy its comforting flavour, and that’s hot!
The only thing to watch out for is ensuring that every single speck of grit is removed from the leeks, and Alastair Little has an easy way to do this. Slice the leeks and place them into a bowl of warm water. Swirl them around to rinse off any dirt. Or place pieces in a sieve and wash them under warm running water, the key being that the water is warm, and removes any mud or sand not readily soluble in cold water. Not only that, the Roux brothers insist that washing leeks under warm water improves their flavour. Who are we to argue?
Leek and Potato Soup
50g butter
4 medium leeks, washed well and sliced
3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped coarsely
Salt and pepper
1 litre of chicken stock
Chives to garnish
Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan. Add the leeks and sweat over a low flame for about five minutes or until softened. Add the potatoes and put the lid on. Continue to cook slowly so that the leeks melt into the butter and the potatoes soften. Now add the stock and some salt and pepper and stir well so that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat up and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are beginning to break up. Cool a little before liquidising in small amounts. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve hot in bowls with a scattering of finely snipped chives.
I congratulate my daughter’s teacher for giving her class some optional extra homework this term. The tasks making dinner for the family once a term; the above leek and potato soup might just be the perfect idea. As long as the children are instructed never to blend scalding hot liquid in a liquidiser, the rest should be a breeze.
If your children fancy getting all excited about being in the kitchen, and want to make some bread to go with that soup, then this soda bread is easy and far quicker than waiting for a yeast bread to rise. Soda bread has been a speciality of Ireland since the late 19th century. It’s best eaten on the day it is made, and any left over is quite delicious toasted and eaten with smoked salmon the following day.
This is from the Crabtree and Evelyn Cookbook and is perfect with soup. Try not to overmix the dough. If you don’t have any buttermilk in the fridge then you can easily make your own by mixing four tablespoons of lemon juice with 500ml of milk.
Brown Soda Bread
280g plain flour
210g wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
60g butter cut into pieces
500ml buttermilk (Notes: you may not need the full amount, and see above for making buttermilk)
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and process quickly (about 10 seconds). Add the buttermilk and pulse again until the mix just comes together. (You may not need the full 500ml of liquid; the dough should be sticky, yet just hold together.) This can also be done by hand in a large bowl.
Turn the mix onto a well-floured board and shape lightly into a round (20cm across). Cut a deep cross in the centre of the loaf. Bake on a baking-paper-lined baking tray in the centre of the oven for one hour, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped lightly on the bottom. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Serve warm in thick slices or cold and thinly sliced, with lashings of butter.
Fiona Feasey
