Soup!

It’s definitely soup weather. Plus, our central heating appears to have taken this opportunity to slump in the metaphorical corner and laugh bitterly at the very notion of actually warming our house up in any way whatsoever, so ho! for lots of jumpers, woolly socks and soup.

Among the first things I ever learnt to make was  leek and potato soup – which is what learning to cook is all about, by the way; discovering what you really like to eat, and then learning to make those few things really well. I’ve added a few bits and bobs here and there to the basic recipe to end up with what I think is a particularly good winter warmer.

Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

2 large leeks, washed and thinly sliced

2 large or 3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 celery heart (take all the larger stalks off the outside until you’re left with the leafy, pale heart), chopped.

2-3  cloves of garlic

1 litre chicken stock

6-7 basil leaves, torn

oil/butter

double cream or milk

salt and black pepper

a good pinch of celery salt (I may have mentioned this particular condiment before. Well worth buying, for reasons I shall elaborate upon later)

Method:

Melt a large knob of butter with a couple of good glugs of oil (not olive oil) in a large saucepan or stock pot over a medium heat. Add your leeks, potatoes and celery, and mix it all up. Crush and peel the garlic and add to the pot. Stick a lid on and leave the vegetables to sweat for ten minutes or a little more.

Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Allow the soup to cool a little, then add the basil and celery salt. At this point you’ll need a stick blender (hugely useful pieces of kit) or a food processor, or failing that, a potato masher. Whizz up the soup , drizzling in a dash of cream, a splash of milk or both, until the whole lot is creamy and smooth, then season to taste and serve. Crusty bread and a warm fire are my serving suggestions today.

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