Leek and Broccoli Soup

Recently Bakers Delight sent me a couple of complimentary samples of their new sourdough. They have two varieties, fruit and olive. So once I received the bread I thought I might make something to go with it. Considering the recent cold snap we’ve experienced, I thought there’s no better way to warm up then by eating a big hot bowl of steaming soup. Not to mention soup is a great way to up your veggie consumption.



I often make a broccoli soup with crisp chorizo sausage on top. But I thought I might try something a little different and added leek to the mix. The leek adds a sweetness to the finished soup. I usually blend my soup up and make a thick puree, but because I felt especially lazy that night I decided to skip that step and kept the soup chunky. Eating the chunky soup actually makes you feel fuller, and not feel like a baby eating soft mushy food. I had my tonsils out a couple of year ago and for two weeks I survived on mashed peas, chicken soup (just the liquid) and KFC mash potatoes and gravy. I lost quite a bit of weight, but gained an unusual anxiety about mushy food.


I cut a couple of thick slices of olive bread and dunked it into the soup. The saltiness of the sourdough went really well with the smoky oily sausage. Daz and I went a little bread mad that night and managed to polish off the entire loaf. Well bread is best at its freshes, so we had no choice but to eat the entire thing.





This is a really easy and quick recipe. In fact its all cooked and served within 30min, great for a work night.

Leek and Broccoli Soup

Makes 3 big serves

INGREDIENTS

1 leek, sliced
2 heads of broccoli, stalk chopped into small pieces and florets chopped roughly
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1.5 litres of chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 chorizo sausages, sliced

METHOD

1. In a large saucepan add a little olive oil over medium heat, add the leek and sauté. Allow it to soften, but not colour. This will take around 5 minutes. Add the garlic and allow to soften.



2. Add the stalk of the broccoli and cook until slightly softened. Add the stock and the remaining broccoli. Cook on medium-high until all veggies are soft and the liquid has reduced slightly. You can add other veggies to the mix if you wish, potatoes are a really good addition – making the soup very thick and hearty. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can leave the soup chunky or blitz it in a food processor to get a smooth soup.

3. Just before serving fry the chorizo sausage in a fry pan with a little extra olive oil. Allow the fat from the sausage to slightly render out.



4. Serve the soup with a few pieces of sausage on top and a teaspoon or two of the oil from the fry pan. This will add a real smoky flavour to the soup.