Leek & Potato Soup - by Gynelle Alves

This soup is very, very easy to make. You can use vegetable stock, but I actually prefer to build up the onion and leek quantities and use regular water to keep it subtle and focused on the earthy loveliness of the title ingredients.

Ingredients:

4-6 big potatoes, peeled

2 large red onions

4 fat leeks, washed and trimmed off any brown bits

Splash of Olive Oil

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried rosemary

6 cups water

1 generous knob of butter

1/2 cup cream (optional)

Fresh chives or parsley chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Finely slice your potatoes, onions and heads of the leeks (saving the greens). In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, add a decent splash of olive oil. Add potatoes, leek heads and onions, lower the flame and stir about so they get nicely tossed up with the oil. Add dried herbs once the onions and leeks go all pinky-translucent. Add water. Bring this to a gentle boil then lower and let simmer till the potatoes are super tender. Add the leek greens and let simmer for a couple more minutes till they go really green. Once marginally cooled down, blend all this (an immersion hand held blender is perfect!) Adjust seasonings, mount with a little butter or cream if you want luxury, sprinkle freshly chopped herbs and eat up!