Potato and leek soup

Serves 2
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

1 white part of leek cut finely
3 medium potatoes peeled and diced finely
1/4 white onion finely chopped
1 stalk of celery cut finely
1 small clove of garlic diced finely
2-3 large cups of chicken stock
cream to serve
chives chopped finely to serve
approx 50 g butter

Place butter into large saucepan and add the onion, leek, celery and garlic.  Heat on low heat for around 15 minutes stirring with wooden spoon. Make sure not to brown.  Then add the potatoes and the stock and bring to boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cover for around 20 minutes.   Let it cool a little to blend with a hand blender or a food processor and return to saucepan.

Bring the heat up again and stir in the cream.  Alternatively you can add a swirl of cream when serving.

Top with fresh chopped chives from the garden.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Can be served hot or chilled.

Amazing!

Red lentil, celery and taleggio soup

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves 4 - 6

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 cup of red lentils
2 litres boiled water
1 vegetable stock cube
2 stalks of celery cut finely
3 carrots peeled and chopped
60g taleggio cheese cut into small squares (approx 6 squares per bowl)
1/3 cup of fresh chives chopped fine

Heat oil in saucepan and place onion into pan.  Cook slightly but do not brown.  Then add lentils with boiled water and vegetable stock cube.   Add the celery and carrot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for around an hour.

Turn heat off and use a hand blender or any mixer to blend soup to a puree.

Then heat up again but not until boiling point.  Place a large soup ladle into the soup and place into individual bowls.  Then add the cheese and chives into the centre of each bowl.

Thanks to my local deli cleos  for great advice on the type of cheese to use. Normally a blue cheese is used with lentil soups but this was a great choice as it was not stringy it was smooth and a little salty but perfect!

Serve hot with crusty bread.

Amazing!

Note:  as an alternative for kids i made pasta chicken noodle soup with fresh chicken stock and ladled one ladle of this lentil soup into their chicken soup so they could at least get a little extra flavour!

Red Lentil and Vegetable soup (easy)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes with preparation
Serves approx 2 large bowls or four small

1/2 cup red lentils
4 - 5 cups of boiling water (small saucepan just below the top)
2 massell chicken stock cubes
1 carrot diced
1 celery stick diced
A few tiny florets of broccoli
Handful of diced pumpkin
1 small sprinkle of chopped chives
1 small sprinkle of cumin spice
1 teaspoon of butter (lurpak)
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of grana padano


Place all in your saucepan and boil for around 20 minutes and taste to test salt and pepper additions.


Top with grana padano cheese.

Serve with crusty bread or some corn thins with butter

Vegetable soup

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour - 2 hours simmering

Classic home made with lots of flavour! Kids loved this one


2 garlic cloves crushed slightly
olive oil
6 rounds of white end of leek chopped
500ml quality vegetable stock and 200ml water
1 potatoes peeled and diced
1 carrot peeled and diced
1/4 pumpkin peeled and diced
1 zuccini diced
2 sticks celery diced
1 small amount of chilli for taste (fresh preferred around 2 little chopped pieces)
shake of oregano
1 tablespoon of quality butter (lurpak type)


Place the leek,garlic and oil in large soup pot and cook slightly then add the stock and water.  Add all the vegetables and herbs etc.  Keep water covering all the ingredients.  Cook low heat simmering for approx 1 1/2 to 2 hours .  Cool slightly and use a hand blender if you have one to break the soup down slightly so it has a little fine bit of fine vegetable as well if you like.

Can be served next day and will actually taste even better.  Enjoy with crusty bread or even some sausages to accompany it.

Vegetable Stirfry with Mushrooms, snowpeas, baby buk choy and leek

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes with a hot fry pan

Olive oil for the fry pan

250g mushrooms

1 baby buk choy leaves

100g snow peas ends cut off

4 finely cut rounds of the white end of a leek

salt and pepper to taste

Very easy to make as a meal or side dish.  This has amazing flavour.  The freshness of ingredients is what makes this dish special.

Place the leek in some oil in a fry pan big enough to fit all ingredients.  Then add as leek cooks the rest of the ingredients and cook with a reasonable amount of heat until mushrooms start to slightly brown.

If you like this with meat serve with chicken tenderloins crumbed or even some lamb cutlets.

Enjoy.