Phew....

I am finally sat down - have been in the kitchen all day today but we now have potato and leek soup (recipe to follow), chicken curry, butternut squash risotto and canneloni ready for teas this week so we won't be going hungry!

I thought I'd post my leek and potato soup recipe as I make mine without any milk (due to being mildly lactose intolerant) but most recipes add milk at the end for the creaminess.  I have to say that I find my soup is just as creamy without the milk but if you prefer it with the old cow juice then add away!

Miss Ellie's Potato and Leek Soup
1 x 2.5 kg bag of potatoes (any sort, or alternatively, 2.5 kg of potatoes from the garden), peeled and chopped
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion, chopped roughly
chicken stock (1-2 pints, depends on the size of your pan and how thick you like your soup)*
butter
oil (preferably something like vegetable that doesn't have a strong taste)
seasoning (salt and pepper)

Put half the potatoes on to boil.

Sweat the leeks and the onion with a little oil and some butter until soft.

When the potatoes are cooked, mash them with a load of butter and seasoning to taste.

Put the remainder of the potatoes into a large stock pot/soup pan and add the sweated leeks, the mashed potato and then the chicken stock until it is all covered.  Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked.

Blend it all up together, adding a little water and more seasoning if required.

I know it sounds faffy making the mashed potato first and sweating off the leeks when you could just stick the whole lot in a pan, boil it up and blend it, but trust me this really does add something special to the soup and is well worthwhile.  If you are anything like Mr Ellie and I, then mash does feature regularly on your menu so next time you make some, make double the quantity and freeze half until you plan on making soup.

*I use chicken stock in my soup for the simple reason that i generally only make chicken stock.  Every time Mr Ellie and I have a roast chicken, I always boil up the carcass and make it into stock for the freezer.  You can of course use ready-made stock and you can try this soup with vegetable or beef stock - whatever floats your boat!

Right, time to get the cannelloni out of the oven and then I need to decide whether to cross-stitch for the rest of the afternoon or get on with knitting my gloves....oh the decisions!

Miss E xxx