Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

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There’s nothing like soup on chilly days to warm you up and it only takes a little bit of effort to go from a basic soup to amazingly delicious. This is the best soup ever!

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Ingredients

For the cashew cream:
2 1/2 oz cashews, soaked for 4 hours, preferably overnight
Scant 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
For the polenta croutons:
6 tbsp dried polenta
1 1/2 cup water
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tsp dill
For the soup:
3 leeks
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2-3 potatoes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dill
1 1/2 tbsp bouillon stock
4 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil

There’s nothing like soup on chilly days to warm you up and it only takes a little bit of effort to go from a basic soup to amazingly delicious. This is the best soup ever!

Method

Start by cooking the polenta in the water, according to the packet instructions. When the polenta is almost ready, stir in the walnuts and dill. Pour the thickened mixture onto a parchment-lined baking tray and spread to about 1/4 inch thick and set aside to cool.

Roughly chop all the veg for the soup. Add the onions to a large saucepan with a little oil and cook on medium heat until they start to soften.

Then add the garlic, leek, carrot, and potato and half cover the pan with a lid for about 5-10 minutes before adding the cumin and garlic.

Stir for a few minutes then boil the water and add to the pan along with the stock. Leave to simmer for around 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the cashew cream. Drain the cashews from the water they have been soaking in and rinse. Blend with 1/2 cup of water and the lemon juice until completely smooth, this may take a few minutes. Set aside or make in advance and put in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Return to the cooled polenta and chop into crouton-sized chunks. Cook under the grill on high heat for around 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally until the croutons are evenly crisp on all sides.

When the soup is ready add half the cashew cream. Then blend the soup until smooth, either in the pan using a stick blender or pouring it into a food processor.