Leek Soup - easy way

NAME: _Leek Soup

---

INGREDIENTS/UTENSILS:
1 leek
1 medium/large brown onion
4 medium or 2 large potatoes, brown skinned
50g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 litre chicken stock
salt, pepper

---

METHOD:
Peel the potatoes and put into simmering water, let the water continue at a low low simmer while you do the following steps.

Cut the leek top off at the point where the leaves open. Separate the leafy tops and wash all the sand out. There will be sand, make sure the leaves are clean, set them aside. You will eventually get to a central core that is tight and sand-free, so now wash that and the "stem" of the leek and slice them into 1mm slices. Set aside, peel your onion, dice that into small squares.

Put the butter and oil into a large pot and allow to melt, add the onion and reduce heat to barely sizzling, add the leek slices and allow to gently fry for five to ten minutes. Tear the leafy tops and add to the potatoes you have simmering and leave for another few minutes to thoroughly soften the leaves. Take off the boil and cool under water.

Put two cups of water in the blender and add the blanched leek tops, cube the potato into manageable chunks and put that in too, blend for around two to three minutes. Add water if necessary to make a blendable paste, and when ready pour this into the pot and stir in well. Add the chicken stock and salt/pepper to taste but bear in mind that the flavour will settle on simmering.

Bring to a boil, then put a simmer plate under the pot and reduce heat to barely simmering, leave for as many hours as you can, preferably more than three. I use a large slow crockpot for this, that way you can do as I do, prepare everything the night before, store, and then put in the crockpot for the day, when you get home your soup will be perfect.

---

SERVING:
Server with crusty solid bread spread with butter. I generally make this part of a meal menu, but there's nothing wrong with having this as the main meal. Serves 8 as a soup course, 4 as a main dish.

---

NOTES:
Cos it's winter here in the Antipodes, and this is a great warming soup. One day I hope to come up with a summer version of this, stay tuned!

I have two crockpots, and this amount definitely does not fit into the smaller one, so I generally save half of it in a re-used ice cream tub and freeze it so I have a quick soup I can just fetch out one morning and have a soup by evening.

---

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: have not been taken, as quantities may vary. The meal as cooked and if used for 8 portions has about 1/4 a serve of fats per serving.

---