In the mood for soup

Cold winter days call for soup. This was about 2 weeks ago. The weather suddenly turned bitter cold, often with frost in the mornings. I came down with a flu. At times like these, all I want is a steaming bowl of soup. Actually I rather like soup anytime of the year. I don't even mind hot soup in summer, though I also appreciate a chilled gaspacho. Whatever the season, soup is quick and easy peasy with my stick blender, my best kitchen investment so far.

Cold winter days do not offer a large variety of vegetables at the market. A large bunch of leeks caught my eye. Cheap. So leeks + cold weather + flu = leek and potato soup. A classic. I like my leek and potato soup with bacon bits, not sure how "classic" that is but it tastes good. Don't bother reheating the leftover soup the next day, and you got another classic, vichyssoise, a chilled leek and potato soup.

Many recipes with leek usually specify the white part of the leek. I have seen pre-washed and pre-trimmed leeks so that just the white parts are sold in neat packages in supermarkets. But I normally buy my leeks whole and throwing out the green part (which makes up 50% of the leek!) seems a total waste to me. Yet nobody has any tips on using the green? I like my leek and potato soup white and creamy, so I used only the white part of the leek for that. With the leftover green part, I decided to make another soup - split pea and leek soup. It's green anyway. It's also a very hearty and nutritious soup.

Leek and potato soup

2 large leeks, white part only

2 large potatoes

500 ml water

300 ml milk

200 g bacon, cut into strips*

salt

creme fraiche

Peel and dice the potatoes. Chop the leeks into small pieces and sweat in a pan with a little butter. When the leeks are soft, add the potatoes and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

In the meantime, fry the bacon strips until the fat has rendered and nicely browned. Drain on kitchen towels.

Puree the soup in a blender. Add the milk to desired consistency. Season with salt. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and the bacon bits.

*Bacon can be bought here ready-cut in little strips called lardons.

Split pea and leek soup

2 leeks, green part

1 cup split peas

2.5 cups water

juice of half a lemon

salt

Chop up the leeks and cook in a little olive oil until soft. Add the split peas and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the split peas are cooked but still have some bite.

Reserve a ladle or two of the soup and puree the rest in a blender. Stir in the reserved split peas so that a nice chunky soup is obtained. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt.

Top the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly cracked pepper before serving.