Newsletter #22 – Potato and Leek Soup

Ah, Spring has arrived! Crisp mornings, clear blue skies, warm days. Or so I thought, for by the second week of September it had reverted to soup weather.

So today another soup recipe but with a number of variations for you to try.

Potato and Leek soup had its origins in 19^th century France and could be regarded as a peasant style of soup which was elevated to classic status with its ultimate variation being the chilled soup, Vichyssoise, invented by the French Chef Louis Diat while working at the Ritz Carlton in New York in the early 20^thcentury.

I had always assumed that any recipe to do with leeks probably came from Wales or Scotland. How wrong I was.

While many different recipes can be found depending on where you were in France, the common ingredients were leeks, onions, potatoes and stock. This soup is another example of a potage – a broth thickened by the weight of the ingredients.

Potato and leek Soup:

Ingredients for 2 litres

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Servings: 6 generous serves

Course: Soup

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 20 ml olive oil
• 20 g butter
• 3 onions peeled, 4mm dice
• 2-3 leeks trimmed, split 6mm cut, cold rinsed
• 3 potatoes peeled, 6mm dice
• bay leaf
• thyme sprig
• 2 litres vegetable stock
• seasoning

Equipment

• You’ll need a single medium sized saucepan for this recipe.

Method

 

1. Assemble ingredients
   
2. Sweat the onion in the oil and butter for 6 minutes. Avoid colouring
   
3. Add leek and sweat for a further 5 minutes
   
4. Add potato and herbs
5. Add stock, bring to boil
   
6. Simmer for twenty minutes
   
7. Adjust seasoning. Remove and discard herbs
8. Ready
   

Notes

Check the leeks for sand and soil even if they look clean. Trim and cut and then cold rinse.  I used a good quality one litre vegetable stock, supplemented by some powdered stock and water.

Variations:

Potato and leek soup makes a good base soup, lending itself a number of tasty preparation methods.

Puree:

Using the basic recipe, take half of the cooked vegetables out and puree them with a stick blender, before returning them to the hot soup.  That way you have the thickness of the puree combined with the textures of the individual ingredients.

Vichyssoise:

Using the basic recipe, blend the finished soup and then strain the puree through a fine strainer. Chill the soup. Add 300ml of fresh cream. Adjust the seasoning and strain again. Serve chilled with chopped chives.

With Chicken:

Replace the vegetable stock with chicken stock. Garnish the hot soup with strips of poached chicken breast.

With bacon:

Start the basic soup recipe with 200g diced bacon. Sweat the bacon for 8 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the basic recipe. Finish with 200ml fresh cream. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot, topped with a sprinkle of chives and croutons.