Name: Leek & Potato Soup
Ingredients: 50 g parsley and stalks; 1 bay leaf; Black pepper; 1 stick of celery; 125 g onion diced; 450 g potatoes - see note - cut into small dice; 450 g leeks - white and green but not the very dark top parts which can be tough; 10 black peppercorns; Good pinch of good salt; 150 g Parmesan cheese - grated; 50 g butter; 1 ltr chicken stock; 4 sprigs thyme; 1 chopped carrot (not too much); Quartered onion

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Chefs' Knowledge

By Chandos Elletson

Published 2022

About

This seemingly innocuous soup contains several pitfalls and underscores the importance of understanding when a vegetable is raw, cooked and overcooked. In a classic leek and potato soup the leek must be perfectly judged. Undercooked and it will taste raw and overcooked it will smell and taste unpleasant - and loose its colour. But, in the middle, the leek has a sweet spot of colour and taste. Once you learn this the same applies to every vegetable.

Classically, leek soup is made wit