Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Wrapped In Newspaper

There’s nothing like soup on chilly autumn 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 and can be made gluten-free if needed.

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Ingredients

For the cashew cream:

75g cashews, soaked for 4 hours, preferably overnight

100ml water

1 tbsp lemon juice

For the polenta croutons:

60g dried polenta

375ml water

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1 tsp dill

For the soup:

3 leeks

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

2 carrots

2-3 potatoes (approx 250g)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2tsp dill

1 1/2 tbsp bouillon stock

1 litre water

1tbsp olive oil

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 1/2cm 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 a 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.

Whilst the soup is cooking, prepare the cashew cream. Drain the cashews from the water the have been soaking in and rinse. Blend with 100ml 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 your ready to use it.

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

When the soup is ready add in 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.