There are few things more comforting during cold, damp weather than a bowl of steaming hot soup. A few simple ingredients, cooked together to make something special. The best soups are ones you can throw together with a few kitchen basics and come out with something everyone will love.
Leek and potato soup is one of those French classics that everyone has heard of. It’s incredibly simple and only a needs a few simple touches to make it a success that anyone can make. Lets a look at some of the important points here;
- Leeks – I’m not always a great fan of leeks since they’re so difficult to clean. You’ll likely find grit in between every layer. The easiest way to clean your leeks for this recipe is to half them lengthways first. You should then be able to fan out the leaves and rinse well.
- Potatoes – If you have a choice, floury potatoes work better in a soup than waxy version. They’re break down easier and make for a more cream soup while waxy potatoes can make it a little gloopy. Maris pipers are my favourites since they also make great roasties!
- Stock – you can make this with water if you really must but … don’t. A great vegetable stock is the secret to making so many dishes better and adding in that hint of depth.
- Bacon – this is a traditional base to the soup BUT this is a vegan blog and I haven’t had meat in a long time. I’ve found that adding smoked paprika adds same depth while keeping it vegan – and so much cheaper.
- Cream – Like so many French soups, this is creamy and would traditionally have plenty of cream and butter stirred through to make it rich. I whip up some tasty, savoury, cashew cream for the same effect.
That’s all it takes! I’ve given you three cooking techniques here using the slow cooker, pressure cooker or hob. Slow cooker is my favourite but do what works best for you!
- Makes: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 150g Cashews
- 1800ml Good Vegetable Stock
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 2 Large Leeks, dark green sections remove & washed
- 60ml White Wine Vinegar
- 850g Potatoes, peeled & chopped
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions
For best results, I recommend soaking your cashews overnight but if you loose track of time then try to soak them for at least an hour in boiling water. Once soaked and soft to the touch, drain and blend with 300ml of the stock until completely smooth. Put to one side until needed.
Quarter your leeks lengthways (remembering to wash them when halved), before chopping. Place a large pan onto a medium heat and melt the coconut oil. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Deglaze the pan with the white wine vinegar, making sure to scrape up all those tasty brown bits. This is where our three cooking methods diverge.
Slow Cooker: Add all your ingredients, apart from the cashew cream, to your slow cooker and stir well. Be a little heavy handled with the salt and pepper here. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. The potatoes should be soft and the leeks will melting away.
Pressure Cooker/Instant pot: In most pressure cookers you should be able to sauté the leeks within the cooker – go for it! It’ll keep all the flavours in one place. Add all your ingredients, apart from the cashew cream, to the pressure cooker and stir well. Be a little heavy handled with the salt and pepper here. Seal and cook on high for 9 minutes. This is a soup so a quick release really isn’t a good idea – you want to do an intermittent pressure release. Carefully, open and close the pressure release valve in short intervals. This allows to the pressure to gradually release without the risk of being sprayed with boiling liquid.
Hob Cooking: Skip the deglazing step for now. Add the potatoes to the pan and continue to cook until they just start to brown around the edges. Now deglaze with the vinegar, and scrape up all the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan (apart from the cashew cream) and season very generously with the salt & pepper. Simmer on a low heat, partially covered, until the potatoes are soft and cooked through and meltingly soft.
For all cooking methods, once your potatoes are meltingly soft, blend the soup with an immersion blender till smooth. Stir in most of the cashew cream (keep a tiny amount back for garnish). Now taste and season as needed, don’t be shy with adding more pepper if needed.
Serve with a swirl of your reserved cashew cream with a side of crusty bread.
Notes
Allergy Notes; This is naturally vegan, gluten free and soy free. If nuts are an allergen for you then substitute your cashew cream with about a cup of soy cream instead.
