05 Feb leek soup

It seems that our cold spell has decided to make the move from January to February with us. This calls for soups and tarts!

We’ve put leeks to good use in our soup but the nutty flavour of the gruyère cheese is what really makes it. When I’m feeling particularly in need of comfort, I sometimes even throw in an extra handful of finely grated gruyère to the soup pot so that it melts and becomes part of the soup before serving. If you can’t find gruyère, Parmesan cheese is a pretty good alternative.

Potato and Leek Soup (serves 6)

Prep time: 5 – 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 – 25 minutes

Ingredients

25g butter

2 leeks

2 potatoes

2 garlic cloves

750ml Good quality vegetable stock

To serve

A handful of finely grated gruyère

Walnuts

Rustic bread

Method

1. Trim the leeks and then split them in half lengthways. Now slice them quite finely before washing them really well in a colander. Top tip: it’s easier to wash leeks when they’re already sliced.

2. Heat butter in your soup pot (a good heavy-based saucepan will do) over a medium heat. Fry the leeks for 10 minutes or until starting to soften.

3. Meanwhile peel and roughly chop the spuds and garlic cloves. Add to the leeks and fry for another 3 minutes.

4. Cover with stock and boil for 20 minutes, or until the spuds are nice and soft. Remove from the heat and use a hand-held blender to blitz the soup.

5. Serve piping hot with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts and grated gruyère. Oh, and some crusty bread on the side.

This recipe first appeared in The Irish Independent on February  5^th