I make my leek and potato soup heavy on the potatoes. You could chill it in summer and call it ‘vichyssoise’. The leeks have grown all through the summer – planting them close together makes them slim, sweet and tender. They’ll keep through the winter in the garden before going to seed once it warms up in the spring. If you’ve got enough leeks you could also make cheesy leek and potato flan.
I’ve still got enough pumpkins stored for pumpkin and coconut soup.
500g leeks
1kg potatoes
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
Large knob of butter
2 teaspoons curry powder or curry paste
500ml good quality stock
500ml milk
salt and pepper to taste
chopped chives and cream to serve
Slit the leeks vertically almost down to the roots. Wash thoroughly, upside down under running water, fanning the leaves to remove any dirt. Roughly chop the onions, leeks, garlic. Peel and chop the potatoes into small dice. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add the vegetables and curry paste or powder, fry gently until they soften and begin to colour, stirring from time to time. Add the stock and simmer for about 40 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Puree with a stick blender or in a food processor. Return to the pan, add the milk and heat without boiling. Thin with a little boiling water if needed. Season to taste. Serve sprinkled with chopped chives and a swirl of cream.
My leeks have grown all sorts of sizes which is interesting. The recent ones I’ve planted are much closer together so will be nice to see how they fair this time.