I was going to title this ‘Saturday lunch soup for sport supporters’. Especially for those parents who stand on the side of a rugby or hockey pitch getting colder and colder on a Saturday morning. Because guess what I was doing this morning? Yes, watching my son, now almost a man, throwing people onto the ground just as the rain started spotting.
It’s the first morning I felt cold and shivery in such a long time. I rather enjoyed the novelty. To add to the occasion I felt the rugby match merited warm socks. It was so strange, to pull them on, it felt almost unnatural. It’s just not been cold enough to have to wear socks for so long. Today was also the first day I wore my lovely coat, which is last year’s version of this Plant Hunter Raincoat from Seasalt. I love it, it’s incredibly cosy and keeps my legs warm.
Hello, autumn. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you.
I contemplated lighting the fire for when my son got home, but it didn’t feel quite chilly enough in the house. So, instead I went to the fridge and pulled out a few potatoes, slightly rubbery and past their best, and a bag of leeks. In my big pan I put in a large slice of butter and a dribble of olive oil and set about making leek and potato soup.
I have started to add a packet of Paxo sage and onion stuffing to my soup. Not all the time, but on those days when I want the soup to be thick and hearty. If you’re non-Uk based you might not be able to get a packet of stuffing (or might be thinking ‘what on earth is stuffing’!) Don’t worry, it’s an optional extra and is essentially bread crumbs.
In addition I love making croutons for soup, especially using a day old ‘proper’ loaf like a bloomer or sourdough. I often do bacon and croutons together in the same pan (although today we had some leftover cold chicken to be added to individual soup bowls at the end so it doesn’t get ‘blended’).
All these quantities can be adjusted to the size of your pan and number of people being fed.
Saturday Lunchtime Leek & Potato Soup Recipe
Serves 4 hungry people
Equipment
A large soup pan, a hand blender and a frying pan for the croutons.
Ingredients
For the soup
tablespoon (0r two) of butter
drizzle of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 potatoes, peeled
5 leeks chopped
chicken stock cube
boiling water from kettle (enough to cover the vegetables and possibly to thin it down if it becomes too thick)
85g packet Paxo sage & onion stuffing
1 small broccoli head, chopped up
salt to taste
For the croutons
Lard/goose fat/olive oil
Day old bread such as sourdough, chopped up into centimetre (or inch) squares (no-one is measuring them!)
Bacon chopped up into similar sizes to the croutons (optional) OR you can use leftover chicken like we did today
Method
Place the butter and olive oil in your large soup pan and allow to heat.
Add the chopped onions, potatoes and leeks and allow to cook gently for ten minutes.
Add the stock cube and a kettle-full of boiling water. Stir.
Add the Paxo stuffing and stir in. Then add the broccoli.
Keep the soup on a low heat until the potatoes are soft and the broccoli is cooked (about 20 minutes or so).
Season to taste.
Remove from the heat and, using the hand blender, blend until smooth.
While the soup is cooking you can be preparing your croutons.
Heat the oil or lard in a pan. Add the bacon if using then add the bread. Have the heat on fairly high and keep moving the croutons about. You may need to add some more oil.
Serve the soup and sprinkle over the croutons and bacon.
