Potato & Leek Soup

I have just finished making up a batch of Potato & Leek Soup because there happened to be leeks available in the supermarket this week (not that common).When I was pregnant with my eldest daughter (Guerita) I never had cravings for anything weird or disgusting, but I would get obsessed with a particular food and need to eat it every day for weeks on end. It was very strange. At one stage I was craving hot dogs, which was not a particularly healthy thing to be eating daily, although at least they were the homemade kind and not those awful ones that have been kept warm for hours. The other thing I had a major craving for was Potato and Leek Soup and I would make batch after batch and have it for lunch and sometimes dinner too every day. Probably explains why I put on so much weight during the pregnancy, what with all those carbs and cream!

So, I can pretty much make this recipe in my sleep, and although I couldn´t face it for a while after Guerita was born, its back on the menu again these days. Its a very simple recipe with no fancy ingredients, but it sure is tasty.

Potato & Leek Soup

55g butter
115g leeks, white end only, finely sliced
4 cups (1 litre) stock
350g potatoes, peeled and chopped (if you like your soup thicker, add more potatoes than this)
pinch salt & pepper
150ml double cream
12 green leek rings for garnish
4 sprigs of fresh chervil

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and sweat gently over a low heat for 10 minutes until translucent but not coloured.

Add the stock and potatoes, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Leave the soup to cool slightly before blending it to a creamy smoothness in a liquidiser or with a hand blender. Return to the pan to heat through again. (I usually just use the bamix straight in the saucepan)

Just before serving, stir in the cream. Serve piping hot, with a few rings of leek and sprigs of chervil for garnish. (I don´t bother with the garnish unless its for guests. I am too keen to scoff it to bother about decoration!)

There´s probably a million variations on this recipe - if you´ve got a special ingredient for your Potato & Leek soup, let me know - I´d love to try different versions!