Potato Leek And Nettles Soup Food

NETTLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, leek and potato, and cook for 10 mins until the vegetables start to soften. Add the stock and cook for a further 10-15 mins until the potato is soft.
• Add the nettle leaves, simmer for 1 min to wilt, then blend the soup. Season to taste, then stir in the butter and cream. Serve the soup drizzled with extra oil and scattered with dead nettle flowers, if you have them.

CLASSIC POTATO LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large wide pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, leeks and onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and not browned, about 12 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and continue to cook, uncovered, until almost dry, about 4 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, 7 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
• Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and carefully puree until smooth, taking care not to fill the carafe more than half full per batch, or puree with an immersion blender in the pot. Reheat the soup over medium heat until steaming.
• Whisk in the cream and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves, a drizzle of oil and a frizzled leeks or shallot if using.

LEEK & POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Melt 50g butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add 450g potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes, 1 small onion, cut the same as the potatoes, and 450g white parts of leeks, sliced and toss them in the butter until they are well coated.
• Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper and toss again. Put a disc of greaseproof paper (called a cartouche by chefs) on top of the vegetables to keep in the steam), then cover the pan with its lid.
• Cook over a gentle heat for 10 mins, or until the vegetables are soft but not coloured.
• Uncover the pan and discard the paper. Pour in 850ml of the light chicken or vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are just cooked - about 5 minutes. Do not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh flavour.
• Purée in a blender until silky smooth, in batches if necessary, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Return the soup to a clean pan and stir in three quarters of a 142ml carton of whipping cream and 125ml full-fat milk.
• To finish the soup, finely shred the white part of 1 leek and gently cook it in a small knob of hot butter for a few mins until it is softened but not coloured.
• Reheat the soup to a gentle simmer (add some extra stock at this point if the soup is too thick for your liking), then pour into warmed bowls.
• Drizzle the remaining cream over each serving, top with a little pile of buttered leeks and a scattering of chives and black pepper and serve at once.

POTATO, LEEK AND NETTLES SOUP

Steps:

• In soup pot, heat butter over low heat. Add leeks, cover and cook 10 minutes until tender.
• Add potatoes and 3 cups water. Cover pot and simmer 15 minutes, until tender.
• Add nettles & cook 5 minutes until tender & wilted (push under liquid). Blend in food processor until as smooth.
• Return nettles to pot and stir in half & half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring soup back to high heat just short of boiling (do not boil).
• Stir in most of onions or chives.
• Transfer to individual bowls, sprinkle with remaining onions or chives & serve.

WILD GARLIC & NETTLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, leek, celery, carrot, potato and a good pinch of salt, and stir until everything is well coated. Cover and sweat gently for 15-20 mins, stirring every so often to make sure that the vegetables don't catch on the bottom of the pan.
• Pour in the stock and simmer for 10 mins. Add the nettles in several batches, stirring, then add the wild garlic leaves and simmer for 2 mins.
• Remove from the heat and blend using a stick blender or tip into a blender. Return to the heat and stir through the milk, then taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and drizzle over a little extra oil, then top with a few wild garlic flowers, if you have them.