Glamorous enough for a dinner party starter or a substantial vegetable supper dish this soup can easily be a vegetarian meal by adding more potatoes and leeks and leaving out the bacon.
This soup can easily be a dainty first course or a hearty winter warmer by varying the quantities of vegetables used,
Make sure the leeks are washed well, there's nothing worse than a gritty end to your bowl of soup and knowing exactly what it is!
Leek and Potato Soup with Garlic Toasts
Ingredients - serves 8
- 50g butter
- 8 rashers bacon
- 5 large leeks
- 2 large potatoes
- 1.2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 300ml milk
- handful parsley
- salt and pepper
For the toasts
- 1 long thin baguette
- 4tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
To make the soup
- Put the butter in a large pan and melt, add the bacon and fry for five minutes.
- Add the well-washed and chopped up leeks, and the potatoes peeled and diced. Stir well covering the vegetables in the melted butter.
- Add the vegetable or chicken stock, bay leaves and salt and pepper, then bring the mixture slowly to the boil, partially cover with a lid and leave to simmer for fifteen minutes, or until the potato and leek is soft and cooked. Take the bay leaves out of the soup.
- Now the soup may be pureed or can be left as it is. Some more water may need to be added at this stage to make it the consistency you prefer.
- Sprinkle with the chopped parsley to serve.
To make the garlic toasts.
- Heat the oven to 200c. Cut the bread into thin diagonal slices. Peel the garlic cloves and rub them across one side of the cut bread, then slowly drizzle on the olive oil and spread it out with a knife.
- Put the slices of bread on a baking tray and bake for 10 mins.
- Serve hot with the soup.
Cooking Tip
These garlic toasts can be made earlier in the day. They can be baked and warmed again or made to the baking stage and baked at the last minute.
They are equally as delicious served cold.
Serving Tip
For an extra special touch of creaminess add a swirl of cream before adding the parsley at serving time.
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