Mémé’s Leek and Potato Soup
My chef at the hotel in Bourg-en-Bresse said the measure of a cook's talent is in his soups. I was seventeen, and I did not believe him. I had come to cook beautiful things – consommés, sauces, compositions on plates. But he was right, as chefs of a certain age and certainty tend to be. I have served this soup to pilgrims arriving cold and exhausted from the road. It is, without argument, the first thing any of them needs. Mémé made it with a blue ceramic tureen from a market in Pontevedra – painted with fish and waves – and she ladled it at the table so each person received exactly as much as their face said they required.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
METHOD
- Melt the 60 g 4 tbsp unsalted butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the 4 large leeks with a generous pinch of Fleur de sel or fine sea salt, and cook slowly, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are fully tender and sweet. They should not colour. If they begin to, lower the heat.
- Add the 600 g about 4 medium floury potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed and the 1.2 litres good chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes collapse when pressed against the side of the pot.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for five minutes. Use a stick blender to puree until completely smooth. For the silk Mémé was after, pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing with the back of a ladle.
- Return to the pot over low heat. Stir in the 120 ml 1/2 cup heavy cream. Season carefully with White pepper, A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, and salt. Taste three times – the soup should be rounded and quiet, not aggressive. The nutmeg should be present but not identifiable.
- Serve in warmed bowls. Finish each with A thin thread of extra cream, a Small bunch of fresh chives, and a grind of white pepper. The blue tureen is optional but correct.
Notes
In the novel, this was paired with a Galician white wine, cold and mineral. An Albariño from Rías Baixas serves this purpose extremely well.