Save my soup! Soup problems thread.

becky2812

plenty of salt... loads of pepper, semi skimmed milk and dried mixed herbs, or oregano if no mixed herbs. otherwise, mine is a bit bland!

Stephen_Leak

For future reference, leek and potato soup hardly needs a SC. It's one of the few soups that doesn't really need long, slow cooking, and can be done as quickly as "normal " dishes. It does benefit from a good "grind" of pepper, though.

Try this ...

LEEK & POTATO SOUP

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

250g of leek
250g of potato
1 tablespoon of oil
400ml of water
1 vegetable stock cube
100ml of milk
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Wash the leeks and chop the bottom off, then chop them (see below) into 1cm (½ inch) pieces. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1cm (½ inch) cubes.

Put the oil into a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the leeks and fry them for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently to stop them sticking or browning.

Add the water, stock cube and potatoes. Stir thoroughly.

Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). If you want the potato to stay chunky, cook for about 15 minutes until the potato is just soft. If you want to mash the potato, cook for about 20 minutes.

If you have a food processor, put the soup in it and blend it to the desired consistency. If you have a hand blender, put it in the soup and blend it to the desired consistency. If you don’t have a food processor or hand blender, use a potato masher, press the soup through a sieve with the back of a spoon, or leave it lumpy.

Just before serving, add the milk. Season with the pepper. Stir thoroughly.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Add a clove of garlic or ½ an onion, finely chopped, at the same time as the leeks. Substitute the milk for crème fraîche or single cream.

TIPS

The easiest way to chop leeks is to slice each one lengthwise into four (which makes it look a bit like celery) and then chop them from top to bottom.

tandraig

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

For future reference, leek and potato soup hardly needs a SC. It's one of the few soups that doesn't really need long, slow cooking, and can be done as quickly as "normal " dishes. It does benefit from a good "grind" of pepper, though.

Try this ...

LEEK & POTATO SOUP

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

250g of leek
250g of potato
1 tablespoon of oil
400ml of water
1 vegetable stock cube
100ml of milk
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Wash the leeks and chop the bottom off, then chop them (see below) into 1cm (½ inch) pieces. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1cm (½ inch) cubes.

Put the oil into a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the leeks and fry them for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently to stop them sticking or browning.

Add the water, stock cube and potatoes. Stir thoroughly.

Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). If you want the potato to stay chunky, cook for about 15 minutes until the potato is just soft. If you want to mash the potato, cook for about 20 minutes.

If you have a food processor, put the soup in it and blend it to the desired consistency. If you have a hand blender, put it in the soup and blend it to the desired consistency. If you don’t have a food processor or hand blender, use a potato masher, press the soup through a sieve with the back of a spoon, or leave it lumpy.

Just before serving, add the milk. Season with the pepper. Stir thoroughly.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Add a clove of garlic or ½ an onion, finely chopped, at the same time as the leeks. Substitute the milk for crème fraîche or single cream.

TIPS

The easiest way to chop leeks is to slice each one lengthwise into four (which makes it look a bit like celery) and then chop them from top to bottom.

thats identical to MY RECIPE do you know my nan?:rotfl:

paulwf

As my gf doesn't like salt to "bring out" the flavours of soup I add about a teaspoon of white wine vinegar after it has finished cooking. Basically add enough to bring out the flavour without being able to actually taste the acidity of the vinegar.

To state the obvious the flavour will depend on the proportion of leek to potato, you don't actually need that much potato...sometimes I add too much potato and it just tastes of potato soup.

I always brown the leeks first to give them the fullest flavour, and don't cook the soup for too long or the potatoes will turn into a startchy paste.

If you need to add extra depth to the flavour add a teaspoon of marmite, it will do the job of a stock cube at a much cheaper price.

Katy83

A teaspoon of chicken stock granules always works a treat for me when my soups are a bit bland.

Did you sweat the leeks and onions in butter before cooking? I always find that adds some nice flavour too.

pootlehat

or try soy sauce to season or some grated cheese on top to add a bit of flavour?

Olliebeak

I like to use celery salt and herbs in some of my soups - just find it gives 'something extra' to them.

foxgloves

I like using that Marigold vegetable stock powder instead of stock cubes. It isn't the cheapest stuff around, but I've found if I splash out on the bigger drum of the reduced salt varitey, it does last about a year. If I get a bland soup, and I have to agree that leek & potato can be the worst offender here, then I add half a teaspoon of Marigold powder and retaste it, then another half, until it's about right. It seems to add more flavour without making it dead salty.

RachelW1987

I put in LOADS of butter and Pepper

And I mean LOOOOOOOOOOADS of butter :rotfl:

RachelW1987

foxgloves wrote: »

I like using that Marigold vegetable stock powder instead of stock cubes. It isn't the cheapest stuff around, but I've found if I splash out on the bigger drum of the reduced salt varitey, it does last about a year. If I get a bland soup, and I have to agree that leek & potato can be the worst offender here, then I add half a teaspoon of Marigold powder and retaste it, then another half, until it's about right. It seems to add more flavour without making it dead salty.

Thats my fav Veg Stock too. I find it much nice than the cubes