Leek and Potato Soup

April 17, 2001

The leeks looked particularly good at the local market so I came home with four of them in my bag. Potatoes were another special and so I had the makings of leek and potato soup.

Summer has lingered in this part of the world, but there's a bit of a nip in the air in the evening and so a pot of soup seemed an inviting prospect.

Ideally I would simmer a chicken carcass or two and make some stock for today's recipe. But I took the easy way out and used a carton of readymade stuff from the supermarket.

The basic recipe is pretty simple. From there on you can tart it up if you wish. A few chunks of hot-smoked salmon would be ideal.

Leek and Potato Soup

2 large leeks
3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 large or 3 medium potatoes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried dill tips
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 litre chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup cream
salt

Slice the leeks crosswise using both the white and green parts. Be sure you wash out any soil from the top section. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the leeks until they are soft. Add the peeled, diced potatoes and the herbs and toss for three or four minutes then add the stock and wine, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste.

At this stage you can decide if you want to leave your soup chunky or if you are going to put it in a blender and smooth it out. I blend mine using one of those handheld wand like blender gadgets. Ideal for this sort of job.

Reheat, adding the cream (optional but good). At this stage you can also add a few chunks of hot-smoked salmon or a few fresh oysters or some prawns - something that doesn't require a lot of further cooking. But it's equally good as is.

This cries out for chunks of hot French bread with a crispy crust.

Great for southern autumn or northern spring.