What to eat this month
Leek and potato soup
An economical and simple dish. Good, substantial, peasant-style winter food to keep out the chill and sustain you through a long afternoon’s work or comfort you after a hard day. It’s an unusual way of making soup, but it works a treat.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15–20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serve with plenty of warm wholemeal bread.
What you need
- 1kg (2¼lb) potatoes
- 500g (1lb 2oz) leeks
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1.5 litres (2¾ pints) vegetable stock, or water and 2 tsp Marmite
- 50g (1¾oz) margarine or butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Peel the potatoes, but leave whole. Wash the leeks thoroughly and cut into shreds. Put the prepared potatoes, chopped leeks, onion, and stock (or water with Marmite) in a large pan. Season lightly. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, lift the potatoes out of the pan and mash with the margarine or butter. Return the mashed potatoes to the pan, stir thoroughly, and simmer for a further 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the soup gets too thick, simply add a little extra water to thin down to the required consistency. Taste and reseason with salt, if necessary. Ladle into warm bowls. Add a good grinding of black pepper to each.
Extracted from the Grown in Britain Cookbook, published by DK. For further information, please visit http://www.dk.com
