Leek Potato Soup with Smoked Salmon

After a few weeks of spring/summer-come-early, the weather has turned this week and gone back to the Dutch standard this time of year: cold and grey. A typical soup sort of day - when what’s nicest to do is curl up under a blanket and warm yourself with a bowl of soup, spooning in the oozy goodness. This is that kind of soup. The bonus? To make it literally takes less than half an hour from start to finish.

Ingredients (serves 2):

150g potatoes, finely diced (about 0.7cm cubes) 

1/2 stalk of celery, finely chopped

1 stalk of leek, chopped (set aside a few rings of leek for the topping)

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

500mL vegetable stock

50mL whole milk

50mL cream

1 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf

salt and freshly ground pepper

To top:

50g salmon, chopped

1 tsp fresh chives, chopped

a few rings of leek and a dab of butter (reserved from the leek above)

a bit more cream

Instructions:

1. In a soup pan, melt the butter and add the potatoes. Sauté for a few minutes then add the celery, leek, onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes more until the vegetables have softened slightly and season with salt and pepper. 

2. Add the vegetable stock and boil for approximately 5 minutes, or until all the vegetables are cooked. You want to keep the freshness of your veggies, so don’t over-boil. 

3. Remove the bay leaf. Using a (hand) blender, blend the vegetables and stock together until silky smooth. Then stir in the milk and cream, heat again until fully warmed, season as needed and then set aside. 

4. In a small frying pan, melt a dab of butter and the few rings of leek you reserved and sauté for a couple of minutes until they are softened but not browned. 

5. Divide the soup over two plates, top with the salmon, leek and chives. Sprinkle some cream and a bit of pepper over the top and serve.