Potato Leek Soup

It’s winter; I’m sick on the couch and all I want is to eat soup and stop blowing my nose.

This recipe is a winter staple and takes me way back to childhood. I have no idea how far this has strayed from the soup I remember, but it’s pretty standard. As written, it’s totally vegan, but real cream (and butter) can easily be subbed back in if desired. Either way, the end result is incredible.

🥱 TL;DR (read on for the full recipe)

1. Sauté leeks, in a large dutch oven or pot. Add garlic, herbs, and red pepper flakes
2. Add diced potatoes and vegetable stock and cook until potatoes are tender.
3. While soup is simmering, blend soaked raw cashews and water to make cashew creme
4. Season with salt and pepper and more fresh herbs.
5. Stir in cashew (or regular 35%) creme to bring it all together.

Full recipe

Cooking time

• Active: 20 min
• Cooking: ~20 min

Ingredients

Amount	Ingredients
5 - 6 med	potatoes (Yukon Gold is nice but any will do)
2 - 3	leeks (2 if large, 3 if medium, more if you feel like it)
1 med	onion (optional, for extra alliacious-ness)
3 - 5	cloves garlic
	thyme (fresh)
	dill (fresh)
	other fresh herbs (as desired)
	red pepper flakes
	olive oil
~1L (~4 cups)	vegetable stock
150g (1 cup)	raw cashews*

To vegan or not to vegan?

If going the vegan route, the raw cashews will make a very nice creme to finish off the soup. You can also use a vegan cooking creme if you prefer. If not vegan, you can use heavy creme (35% in Canada), and feel free to toss in a little butter to richen it up too.

Steps

Prep: mise en place, people!

1. Wash potatoes and cut into large cubes, leaving the skin on.
2. Trim green and base parts of leeks and discard. Slice the remaining white parts in half length-wise. Wash them thoroughly. If they are very dirty, submerge the halves in a large bowl of cold water and let them soak for a while.
3. Once clean, roughly chop the leeks on a bias (diagonal).
4. Mince your garlic and dice the onion if using. (Onion rule of thumb - if you have tons of leeks, don’t bother, but if not, that extra onion adds a lot)
5. Wash your herbs.
6. Cover 150g (around 1 cup) of raw cashews with very hot water and let them soak. Optionally, smash a clove of garlic and put it in. (Skip this step if using regular creme)

Let’s cook:

1. Heat a large dutch oven or pot to medium heat and add a generous amount of olive oil.
2. Add the leeks and onion (if using) and sauté until they start to soften. Mind that they don’t brown.
3. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.
4. Take a good bunch of dill and thyme (or any other fresh herbs) and make a little bundle, tying it with some cooking twine. Throw it in and mix it around. (Or use a rubber band, though maybe that’s not great for cooking? But either way you’ll fish it out later…)
5. After the garlic and herbs have cooked another minute or so, add the potatoes and stir them around for a couple minutes until everything is well mixed and sizzling.
6. Add enough vegetable stock to cover everything well. If you’re not going full vegan, feel free to add some butter here.
7. Cover and reduce to a simmer.
8. Stir and check the firmness of the potatoes every few minutes.
9. While the soup cooks, make your cashew creme (if using). Ensuring there is enough water still covering the cashews, use a hand blender to blend it all into a creme. Adjust the amount of water to get the right consistency (start with less, and add as you go). Taste and add salt as needed.
10. When the potatoes are soft, fish out the herb bundle and throw it away.
11. Use a potato masher or hand blender to break down some of the potatoes. It’s up to you how creamy you want to make the soup - I usually like to leave it a bit chunky.
12. Add more fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Everything should taste pretty great now.
13. Final step: stir in a good amount of the cashew creme (or regular creme). This will give the soup an exceptional mouthfeel.

To serve

Dish out into a shallow bowl. Add a swizzle of creme in the bowl if you are feeling fancy. Top with more fresh dill, a dusting of paprika, and fresh cracked pepper.

Serve with baguette, crusty sourdough bread, or grilled cheese sandwich, and a fresh (kale) salad.