welcome home soup

Yesterday Nick arrived back from Shanghai, tired and a little rumpled as usual – it’s a tough gig sometimes, zooming back and forwards between countries. Usually we have a ritual of softly scrambled eggs for dinner on his first night back (along with a catch up of whatever series we happen to be watching at the time – currently we are the last people on the planet to be watching Homeland…). After traveling and eating out with restaurant and hotel food for a few weeks, it is such a treat to have something nourishing and homemade – last night for a change I made fresh, vibrantly green soup for a little pick-me-up. The things that make this soup so good are these – you can taste the vegetables, the last minute addition of fresh herbs gives it a bright note and the yoghurt and dukkah at the end bring lightness and texture. Bloody delicious.As you probably know I don’t normally do endorsements of products, it’s just not really my cup of tea for various reasons – however recently I was delivered a loaf of Lewis Road Creamery’s new kibbled grain bread with a packet of the sea salt crystals butter and I have to say, they are so good, and totally perfect with the soup. No money exchanged hands in the endorsement of this product – haha – I just like it! 🙂

Anyhoo – today we have given ourselves the mammoth task of cleaning out the garage (exploding with props and photography backboards), my office (eek!) and the linen cupboard (not so bad), so I had better get busy. Have a great weekend, and if you have a weary traveller, or just someone who needs a bit of extra nurturing in your life, this recipe is for you…also pretty damn perfect for a Sunday night.

 

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, trimmed, halved lengthways and chopped
1 large agria potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 litre good quality chicken or vegetable stock
1 broccoli head, chopped into florets
1 cup peas
120g baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup basil leaves (a few reserved for garnish)
1/4 cup mint leaves
beetroot leaves if you have them!
1/4 cup dukkah
1/2 Greek yoghurt

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat butter and oil in a large pot and cook onion and leek for 10 minutes over a medium heat (Season with salt during this time). Add potato and garlic, cook for 2-3 minutes then add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes until potato is soft. Add broccoli and peas and cook for 5 minutes, add spinach and remove from the heat allowing spinach to wilt into it – give it a bit of a poke of encouragement. Remove from the heat and whiz with a stick whizzy (or transfer to a food processor which is more of a faff). Add cream, basil and mint and whiz again until smooth, taste for seasoning and add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a swirl of yoghurt, some fresh basil/beetroot leaves and a sprinkling of dukkah. Serves 4 for lunch, 3-4 with dinner.

6 comments

  1. Hallo Sahra.
    Ich kann nur sagen, GROßARTIG wie immer, diese Farbe sieht Phantastisch und so lecker frisch aus das man sich am liebsten gleich an den Tisch setzen möchte.
    Viele Grüße sendet ihnen Jesse Gabriel

    1. Vielen danke Jesse – und ohne Yoghurt und Butter glaube ich es fast vegan ist?! 🙂 Was kann man fur das Sahne ersatz? Vielleicht Kokosnuss Creme? 🙂

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