Winter is here! Instead of complaining about the cold weather why not make the most of it and enjoy the delicious winter dishes that are best enjoyed on these cooler nights. That’s what we’re doing this year! Every week or fortnight I’ll be posting a soup of the week recipe to inspire you to get in the kitchen. There are so many different types of soup, it’s easy to make, you can use nutritious ingredients and they last for days. It’s a no brainer – make some soup! If you whip up a big pot then you’ll have leftovers for lunch and/or dinner too. Bonus!
Potato and Leek Soup with Croutons and Crispy Prosciutto (serves 4-6)
What you need:
4-5 medium diced potatoes
2-3 rashers of diced bacon (optional)
2 cloves diced garlic
2 large leeks (white part only) washed, cut in half and finely chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
3 pieces day old bread, crusts removed
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
Chives for garnish
Prosciutto for garnish (optional)
Salt and pepper
What’s next?
1. Add butter and olive oil to a soup saucepan on medium heat. Cook leeks, bacon and garlic until leeks are soft.
2. Add diced potatoes and cook for a few nore minutes then add stock, bay leaves and thyme.
3. Bring to boil uncovered and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
4. Blend until smooth using a stick blender of in batches using a jug blender. When it’s smooth return the soup to pan on low heat to stay warm.
5. Meanwhile preheat oven to 180, line a tray with baking paper and cut bread into squares. Toss the bread in a little olive oil and bake for 5-10 minutes or until it’s golden.
6. Crisp the proscuitto in a frypan over a medium heat and tear it into small pieces when its cold. Finely chop chives.
7. Laddle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, prosciutto and chives. Enjoy!
What’s your favourite soup to make or eat?
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.