Potato and leek soup

Serves 6 to 8

Adapted from Once upon a Chef

Somehow my whole life I have missed making this soup, until recently. There's something so good about buttered leeks and it really shines in this simple soup. It's a very low-cost and low effort soup too, with only two vegetables but it seems to stretch and really hit the spot on these cold winter nights.

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 35 min

Ingredients

50 g butter

3 to 4 leeks, white and light green parts only

3 cloves garlic

2 litres (8 cups) chicken or vegetable stock (or a mix)

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs thyme

1 zucchini (optional)

1 kg potatoes (white washed potatoes, peeled)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup cream, optional

Chives, parsley or thyme, finely chopped to garnish (optional) or grated Parmesan

Method

1. Cut the leeks in half, rinse out any dirt between the layers, then chop into 1 cm chunks. You can use the insides of the top part of the leeks but only use the inner layers that are relatively soft.

2. Melt the butter in a large pot then add in the leeks and garlic and sauté on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes until they are soft and wilted, but not brown.

NB. The aroma (and taste) of buttered leeks is the best, don't rush this step!

3. Meanwhile, peel and chop the zucchini and potatoes into 2 cm chunks.

NB. The zucchini is optional, just added it to sneak in extra vegetables.

4. Add the stock, bay leaves, thyme, zucchini and potatoes into the pot and cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are very soft. 

5. Remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaves and thyme then blend with a stick blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Return to the heat and stir through the cream.

6. Serve warm, with fresh herbs or cheese to garnish.