When I stumbled upon the story of how this recipe came into being, I was absolutely charmed, since it is essentially a son’s tribute to his mother, and in light of my very precious relationship with my own mother, I decided to add this soup to my dinner party repertoire; needless to say it has since become the dish that receives the largest number of encores and on that note, I hereby give you what is possibly the simplest of all my recipes, which I can boast is far lighter handed than the original for I do not use any cream in mine.
Ingredients
First and foremost, gather your ingredients (IMAGE 1). I am using an organic low salt stock for this recipe, brand Kallo, available at Nature’s Soul store, 27, Ground Floor, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi 110024. In the recipe given below, the onion and potato quantities are essentially 40% of the weight of the leeks … i.e. hypothetically, if the leeks were to weigh 100g after peeling and chopping, then the onion and potato quantities should be 40g each. The bacon I have used for the garnish is brand ‘La Carne, Imported Bacon Bits’, which I purchase from Defence Store, 38, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi 110024. As far as the white truffle oil is concerned, use any brand of choice.
YIELD: 4 PORTIONS for a three course meal, or 8 PORTIONS for a 4 course meal
- 50g ordinary Amul Butter
- 4 large leeks, non-leafy part only as shown in the images. Simply chop off the leafy parts and the roots.
- 1 large red onion
- 1 litre chicken (or vegetable for the vegetarians) stock i.e. 2 Kallo cubes dissolved in 1 litre of boiling water
- 1 large potato
- Chives and fried bacon bits for garnish
- Truffle oil to drizzle
Please note that the images pertain to a half recipe.
Method
The next step is to prepare the garnishes. First top and tail the chives, then wash in bottled water with apple cider vinegar (4 parts water to 1 part vinegar), dry and finely chop (STEPS 1 TO 5).
Then chop the bacon bits into smaller bits, and fry in a non-stick pan in its own fat until browned and crisp. Drain in a sieve, and reserve until use (STEPS 6 TO 10). These can be refrigerated and kept for a week.
Then prepare the stock and then finely slice both the leeks and onions and cut your potatoes into small cubes of the same size preferably, so that they cook at the same time (STEP 1). Next melt your butter in a pot over low heat (STEP 2), add the leeks and onions and sweat till softened (STEPS 3 & 4). Then add the potatoes, stir to mix (STEP 5), and then pour in the stock (STEP 6), bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 mins until potatoes are cooked through (STEP 7). Take off the heat, let cool and then blend in a food processor till completely smooth (STEP 8). Refrigerate before use since this is a cold soup, but you can in the winter, serve it hot.
When it’s time to serve, pour into the soup plates, sprinkle with chives and drizzle with truffle oil; leave it at that, if vegetarian (FINAL IMAGE 1), and add bacon bits if not (FINAL IMAGE 2).
You can also serve this delightful concoction as an hors d’oeuvre, in miniature shot glasses with a drizzle of truffle oil, some chive stalks and a parmesan shortbread biscuit as chaperone (please refer to the recipe given earlier in this Treat of the week section) as shown in the un-numbered and self-explanatory series of images below … and of course, add the bacon bits if non vegetarian.
