Recipe: Leek and Ginger Soup

 Traditional leek and potato with a twist, perfect to keep you warm on cold winter nights

I love my soups and am always on the lookout for new flavours to try. This one adds a bit of a kick to the traditional leek and potato recipe and really does warm you through just when you need it. As a lunchtime idea, you can heat this up in the morning and take it in a flask to work as a lovely warm alternative, just be prepared for the jealous looks from your colleagues. 

Ingredients:

2 medium leeks

100g potatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 vegetable stock cube

6-7 tablespoons of ginger wine

margarine or olive oil

salt & pepper

paprika

Serves 4

This will last a couple of days in the fridge, or a couple of months in the freezer. Just re-heat in a saucepan or microwave until hot throughout.

How to make:

Peel and crush or chop your garlic, and peel and dice your potatoes. Don’t worry too much about the size as they’re going to get liquidised anyway. Also, boil a kettle and in a jug add your stock cube to 600ml of boiled water and stir until the cube is fully dissolved.

Next, take your leeks and remove any tough outer leaves, top and tail them leaving as much leek as you can. Then slice your leeks, this is best done lengthwise cutting them into small strips, but dicing will be fine too, give them a good wash after you've chopped them. Add a glug of olive oil or around 25g of margarine to a large saucepan and heat before adding your sliced leeks.

Sauté the leeks for around 5 minutes, ensuring they are soft before moving on. Once you’ve done this, add the garlic and sauté for another half minute before adding the potatoes and stock, giving the whole thing a good stir in the process. Bring this to the boil then reduce and simmer for around 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add 4 tablespoons of ginger wine. Blitz the whole mixture until it is nice and smooth and give it a taste. Add salt and pepper and another 2-3 tablespoons of ginger wine to your liking before placing it back on the heat.

Heat through for another couple of minutes (making sure it doesn’t boil) and keep stirring throughout. You’re now ready to serve! Once you’ve got it in your serving bowls, add a sprinkle of paprika to each for that extra bit of kick.

Enjoy with a nice piece of crusty bread.