Tag Archives: leek

Easier Potato and Leek Soup

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After Christmas “use up what’s left” style of soup.  I was inspired by a soup I had at a conference, it was a vegetable soup and I found it really tasty. While all around me were eating volumes of mini beef and ale or chicken and leek pies, with chips. Having no concern about me. I stuck to my guns and stayed with the healthier options.

Have found that this easy soup is really good at making you feel better. Its tasty, its velvety and its above all easy.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 665 (167 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 large leeks chopped (remove leaves)
  • 4 medium potatoes, chopped
  • 2 vegetable stockpots (any will do)
  • Salt
  • Plenty of Pepper to taste
  • Add hot water to (level 1 in the soupmaker the higher one) or 1 litre in the pan

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to chunky.
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until chunky.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.
  • Optional: Serve with crusty bread or some yogurt, crème fraiche or cream for a creamier taste.

My Saturday Relaxer

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After a very busy week at work I fell into the pub at our Early Doors regular Friday meet up, to enjoy a few pints of Naked Ladies Ale, our local Twickenham brewery fare at the Three Kings.

I decided to make some soup on Saturday as a way to relax myself into the weekend proper. Lots of winter veg, chicken stock in good basic soup.  So my intention was to make it comforting and full of flavour, it also needs to be chunky to give us a warming texture to the soup. This approach alongside a New York Bagel, toasted or not, buttered or not its all up to you. Enjoy!

Twickenham Brewery Regular Ales

The Brewery

Twickenham Fine Ales was the first brewery in Twickenham since Cole’s Brewery closed in 1906. However it didn’t end there. Founded by Steve Brown in 2004, Twickenham has been at the forefront of the resurgence of breweries in London.  Using global hops from a early stage, and only the purest of ingredients, Twickenham produces a fine range of well hopped, award winning beers.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 765 (192 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp of rapeseed oil (olive oil will do)
  • 3 potatoes
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 tbsp fresh fennel (2 tsp of dried fennel will do)
  • 3 small to medium onions
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 leeks
  • 1 celery stick
  • 1 tbsp of oregano (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp of sweet paprika
  • 3 splashes of Worcester sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 chicken stockpots
  • Add hot water to (level 1 in the soupmaker the higher one)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to smooth
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until smooth.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.
  • Optional – New York Bagel – 230 calories (with butter add 35 calories – for 456 for the whole serving)

Purple Potato and Leek Soup

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Had some Violetta potatoes  in my fridge this week, I remembered a conversation with a friend to create a blue soup, so I experimented with these lovely looking purple potatoes and come up with a very basic soup. The Violette is a specialist variety of potato with a distinctive Blue skin and has Blue flesh inside the potato as well. Its very similar to Salad Blue 1900 ptotato.

As potatoes go they have a delicate sweet flavour, with a slightly floury flesh and they work very well in savoury dishes. They can be used in a mixed mash for a different look. The soup itself come out less colourful than purple, mainly die to the other ingredients, however its is still a delicious and comforting soup. This soup will be coming to work with us tomorrow.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 1006 (251 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil (olive oil will do)
  • 4 medium leeks chopped
  • 6 violetta purple potatoes chopped
  • 2 medium red onions chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 vegetable stockpots
  • Add hot water to (level 2 in the soupmaker the lower one)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to smooth
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until smooth.
  • For a thinner soup add more water or use level 2 in the soupmaker the higher one, for a thicker soup add less water.

My Vegetable Malarkey

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I like vegetable soups. There it is, its out there. However sometimes you just need the basics and rough and ready approach to soup making. Malarkey is meaningless or nonsense, the Americans use the word Bunkum to describe it and its just that “nonsense”. But I cant call a soup that so its called my Vegetable Malarkey.

Now the soup can contain any good veg however it still needs a balance to it, so I used a mix of my favourites, all good solid veg to create mine.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 540 (135 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil (olive oil will do)
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 medium leek
  • 1 celery stick
  • 1 tbsp of fresh fennel chopped
  • 2 potato medium, chopped
  • 1 carton of passata (tomatoes)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 chicken stockpots (any will do)
  • Add hot water to (level 1 in the soupmaker the higher one)

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to chunky
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until chunky.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.

 

Potato & Leek Surprise

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This morning I am mostly recovering from Jane’s birthday. We wandered down into town last night with some friends to Pincho’s, a local Spanish Tapas bar and restaurant. After a very good meal, some great conversation and a lot of drinks we went home and danced into the wee small hours.

While I was preparing Jamie Oliver’s 5 hour Lamb for Jane’s Birthday Sunday Dinner at 4pm this afternoon, I worked on making a soup for the light evening meal (if we have one!). Searching all of the vegetables we have in the fridge I happened on some Potato’s, Leeks & Onions. Hence the Surprise! I was intending to make a spicy tomato soup.

This soup I have found is a great comforter after a night out.

Serves: 4

Approximate Calories: 931 (233 calories per serving) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 3 or 4 sticks of celery chopped
  • 4 medium leeks chopped (optional, I remove the green leaves)
  • 4 medium potatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 chicken stockpots (any will do)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Add hot water to (level 1 in the soupmaker the higher one) or 1 litre in the pan

Method

  • Put all ingredients in the soup maker and set to chunky.
  • Alternatively put all of the ingredients into the pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minute’s or so, then blend when done until chunky.
  • For a thinner soup add more water, for a thicker soup add less water.
  • Optional: Serve with crusty bread or some yogurt, crème fraiche or cream for a creamier taste.