Leek and Potato Soup

Leek and potato soup can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Even the most basic of recipes ends up as one of the tastiest soups around. The variants include serving it smooth or chunky, or with other ingredients added. Not only is leek and potato soup extremely tasty, it is almost foolproof and you will always end up with a very edible soup. It's quick to prepare and freezes well.
Below is the quickest, simplest leek and potato soup recipe.

Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
Four medium leeks trimmed
Two medium potatoes
Medium onion
1 litre Chicken stock, fresh or water and two stock cubes
225 ml Milk
2 tablespoons Butter
¼ teaspoon Pepper
¼ teaspoon Salt

(optional ingredients)
Fresh chopped chives or parsley.
Four tablespoons of cream or creme fraiche.
I like to add a stick of celery and ¼ teaspoon curry powder in the initial sweating of the vegetables.

Method
Wash the leeks and slice off the tough top green parts. Remove the tough outer layer. Chop the leeks finely. The best way to do this is to slice them lengthwise into three sections then gather the sections and chop them. Put the chopped leeks in a colander and rinse them thoroughly. Soil particles and grit is often present in the outer layers of the leeks.
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes, roughly 2cm / ¾ in cubes.
If using stock cubes, dissolve them in boiling water.

1.Melt butter in a pan on a medium heat.
2.Turn the heat to low then add the leeks, onions and potatoes to the pan. Add seasonings. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables twice whilst cooking.
3.Add the stock to the pan and simmer for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are softened and cooked through. Add the milk and warm through.

Your soup is now cooked and ready to serve. The texture of the soup will be chunky. If you prefer a less chunky texture, let the soup cool for 5 minutes and then either blend for 30 seconds in a food processor or mash the soup with a potato masher (it will still not be smooth).
Reheat the soup until it just starts to boil and serve.
If you want to improve the presentation then add a tablespoon of cream to the centre of each bowl of soup and swirl it round gently with a spoon.
Sprinkle the chopped parsley or chives over the top.