Leek Soup x 2

The original recipe for this Cream of Leek Soup can be traced back to a French cooking course my mother took years and years ago. It was gracefully aging into an “old family recipe” before I decided, just this evening, to ‘veganize’ and ‘babify’ it, and give it a new name (sacrilege!). In our house, we worship the gods of cheese, so even the vegan version is served with Stilton (or rather, we serve Stilton with a little soup on the side). Here are both:

Cream of Leek Soup (original)

1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium leeks, chopped
2 medium potatoes, diced
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Stilton cheese, crumbled

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. ‘Sweat’ onions and leeks until soft and translucent (minimum 20 minutes). Add potatoes and stock; simmer until potatoes are tender and volume is reduced by half. Puree in blender or food processor. Return to pot. Add cream and bring just to a boil. Lower heat and stir in lemon juice and seasoning. Serve with crumbled Stilton on top.

Potato Leek Soup (nearly vegan)

1 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium leeks, chopped
3 large potatoes, diced
8 cups vegetable stock
3 cups coconut milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
no Stilton cheese, crumbled

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. ‘Sweat’ onions and leeks until soft and translucent (minimum 20 minutes). Add potatoes and stock; simmer until potatoes are tender and volume is reduced by half. Puree in blender or food processor. Return to pot. Add coconut milk and bring just to a boil. Lower heat and stir in lemon juice and seasoning. Serve with no crumbled Stilton on top IF YOU DARE.

(The larger quantity of potatoes requires quite a bit more liquid/stock to properly cook them; however, you will find, as I did, that once reduced, the soup is even thicker and creamier than in the original version.)