Leek and Bean Soup

Make it simple, fancy or even fancier. Use the basic recipe below with any extras from the ideas suggested.

Ingredients

SIMPLE

· 1 large leek

· olive oil, vegetable, butter or vegan alternative

· 1 tin of white beans (e.g. cannellini, butter beans, haricot) in water

· Stock cube or bouillon powder

· Salt and pepper FANCY with the leeks: add onions, shallots or celery. Cook with the leeks at the beginning, they will take longer to cook. flavour: Nutritional yeast. Adds a rich, creamy umami flavour and of course, extra nutrients. A little butter, milk or olive oil will also add creaminess. zing: Lemon or white wine/cider vinegar. Add at the end to taste. herbs: bay leaves, thyme or rosemary. Add with the beans but remember to remove before blending. green goodness: Any green vegetables such as courgette, cauliflower, broccoli or frozen peas. Add with the beans and make sure they’re cooked before blending. carbs: potatoes (peeled or not) can be used in place of the beans. Or go 50/50. EVEN FANCIER

· Keep some of the white beans, pat dry with a tea towel and fry in a little oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. This will crisp them up, drain on kitchen towel first and serve on top of the soup in place of croutons

· Sliced spring onions can added when serving

· The dark green tops of the leeks can be sliced and fried in a little oil. If they are blanched in hot water first, they will retain their green colour

METHOD

1. Cut the leek in half lengthways and then slice . Wash thoroughly to get rid of any dirt in the layers.

2. Sweat the leek in a pan with olive oil and/or butter until soft (around 5 minutes)

3. Add the beans with liquid from the tin.

4. Add stock powder or half a cube (to taste). Add a little more water, depending on what extras you are using. Make sure everything is covered.

5. Cook until hot then whizz with a hand blender until smooth.

6. Add seasoning to your taste. Add nutritional yeast and lemon if using.

Eat hot, or cold, who cares!