Back in the UK come winter we would rely on Baxter’s spicy parsnip or carrot and coriander soups to vary our suppers but those days are now over and as we seem to be getting a British winter we thought we’d try making our own soup namely leek and potato soup. We consider ourselves to be reasonable cooks, but we have never tried to make soup before so this sounded like a simple soup to start with. There seems to be endless recipes on the internet so I picked out the bits that seemed to suit us.
We decided to have equal quantities of leeks and potatoes a few fresh cloves of garlic fresh thyme salt pepper and vegetable stock
We cooked the leeks and potatoes separately until very soft. Put them together into a large saucepan and added the stock and seasoning and cooked for about 20 mins. I let the pan cool down and started the blender which immediately packed up. I tasted the mix and it tasted fine and had the slight sweet taste of leeks. We decided to leave the mix in the saucepan overnight out of the fridge but this morning put it into the fridge as it seemed such a warm day. Anyway this afternoon just before I tried our new blender I tasted the soup and was disappointed it had lost the slight sweet taste of leeks and had a distinct vinagary taste. Anyway I used the blender and added more stock and it does taste more acceptable but not as expected. So we now have a very large amount of soup whose taste is disappointing. Did leaving it out of the fridge overnight cause it to change so much?
I make a lot of soup and I’ve never had that experience.
However, we tend to eat some of the soup straight away and microwave the rest the following day.
Also I tend to add spices.
You should cook the potatoes and leeks in the stock, not cook them first.
Make stock with the carcass of a roast chicken, leek, carrot and celery with a bouquet garni and black peppercorns.
Do not season with salt until you are ready to eat it.
You can always add some cream or creme fraiche and serve it cold in summer.
Add a chilli. Try red pepper and sweet potato too.
I do exactly this with the exception that I sweat the leeks and celery first in butter and add a small ammount of paprika. I never let chicken/beef/lamb carcasses or bones go without making a stock.
Since we don’t have animal carcasses we tend to roast veg first with garlic and herbs maybe a chilli to get some extra flavour and caramelisation, then chuck it in a pot with some veg stock. Blitz, season with whatever suits one’s mood and eat. Also add coconut cream, ordinary cream, milk etc to give a creaminess.
(We don’t roast potatoes, just cube them and add in to roast veg and stock. )
Freshly grated nutmeg is a worthwhile addition to a leek and potato soup, alternatively freshly toasted and ground cumin - I’d also go with home-made chicken stock (that Jewish penicillin substitute). IMO in most culinary situations home-made chicken stock is better than water or wine.
Hence the need for duck fat?
We don’t roast potatoes.
Because my wife won’t eat most root veg.
Don’t roast potatoes for soup! But for other things we manage roast ones despite lack of duck fat.
Fair enough - upon reflection, roast potatoes in soup would be horrible - please put that down to ignorance because potatoes aren’t welcome here bar the one day a week when my wife eats farmed salmon and I have lamb/tripous/pigs’ trotters etc with aligot or truffade, or navettes, or celeriac - you get the picture…?
She eats farmed salmon! And is health conscious… A plate of baby turnips glazed with thyme and sumac would be so much nicer.
Of all the things your dear wife wont eat or let you eat yet she eats the most toxic food available?
Nasty farming habits, excess of antibiotics etc etc.
I love cooking… I love eating… I choose what to cook and I choose what to eat…
it’s all my choice… 
Please can we swap recipes without getting involved in whether or not a person’s choice is “good” or “bad”… ???
It’s mostly minestrone, potatoe and leek, chicken Noodle Soup or vegetable soup, I’m limited to things my FIL will eat, all use home made chicken stock.
If it’s just for me, Creamy Chicken Soup with Potatoes and Bacon or Chicken and Chard Pasta Fagioli which I freeze for myself, recipe below.
I put everything raw into a big pan, nothng pre-cooked. Add herbs/spices etc but not salt, that can be added when eating! Add enough stock (cubes/fresh etc) to cover and put on to boil then lower heat and cover and leave until veg is cooked. Take off heat and leave to get cold in pan and THEN liquidize etc. You can also add butter if you wish during cooking or leave until reheated for a meal. Pack into pots with lids, plastic bag and into freezer until required with date and what it is. Get out night before eating to defrost gently, just a little reheat and voila! Thats how I do it. If liquid too thick when ready to liquidize, add a little more water.
The good thing about wandering through recipes is that one can gather ideas… pick and choose bits and bobs…
I hadn’t thought of sprinkling crispy lardons onto soup… but now… yeah!
That will make my leek/potato/whatever soup really special, I reckon…
EDIT: Incidentally, with Leeks… I throw away as little as possible. Most of the green-top gets shredded and goes into the soup along with everything else…
I use them all the time as it’s quick and easy and adds crunch and taste, but then it’s up to the individual to add, plus the cats like them as a treat.
Croutons can be a bit binal.
A slug of Madeira is good too…
Ah… OH is very partial to homemade croutons… cubes of bread, olive oil, garlic, pepper and whatever chopped herbs… coat the croutons, let 'em soak it up a little… then tip into a hottish pan… keep turning until they’re crisp and brown all over…
(as I know to my cost… there’s a fine-line between crisp and brown… and burnt !!! )