Tag Archives: soup

Broccoli, leek & potato soup – easy, cheap and healthy winter food

I made this soup the other day without any recipe and surprised myself by how yummy it turned out (my cooking intuition is non-existent). The magic ingredient must have been the yoghurt as it added just the right amount of tartness/acidity to the vegetables.

If you want to give this hearty winter soup a try, here’s how I made it. All measurements are very approximate, so feel free to improvise:

Ingredients (4 pers.)

  • Butter & olive oil for frying
  • 4-5 leeks, chopped
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 large potatoes, chopped
  • 1 head of broccoli, chopped (use the stem as well)
  • 1/2-1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
  • water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper to taste
  • 300 ml single cream (or milk)
  • 400 ml yoghurt naturel (add a bit at a time, as you might want to use less)
  • a few drops of avocado oil for decoration

How to do it:

  • Heat up the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the leeks with the chopped garlic until soft.
  • Add the potatoes and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the broccoli. Add a bit of salt and pepper + cayenne pepper.
  • Add the chicken stock and a bit of water until the vegetables are covered and cook until the vegetables are soft.
  • Take the saucepan off the heat and blend it (I just used a hand blender directly in the pan and left a few vegetable lumps for added texture).
  • Put back on the stove. Add more stock/water if consistency is too thick, then add cream and yoghurt.
  • Add salt and pepper (and maybe a stock cube) to taste.
  • Serve with cheese sandwiches or whatever rocks your boat.

BON APPETIT!

pssssst! In the mood for more soup? Head for my butternut soup recipe.

Pho – cheap & modern Vietnamese street food

The cooler autumn weather is screaming for hot steaming soups. When travelling in Vietnam many years ago we fell in love with Pho, the clear soup with noodles and beef (pho bo) or chicken (pho ga), which is served with lime, fresh chili and Vietnamese greens.  In Vietnam they serve it at most street stalls, often for breakfast. Very delicious.

Back in Denmark we had to travel half-way through Copenhagen to find a Vietnamese restaurant. And the only modern one, Nhà Hàng, is ridiculously expensive as is has almost doubled its prices since it opened. That’s just not right.

Back to London, where there are quite a few Vietnamese restaurants, most of them in East London. We mainly eat out in Soho where Sam works and luckily Pho, a small chain of smart-looking restaurants serving cheap Vietnamese street food, decided to open another shop smack in the middle of Wardour Street.

We tried it a few days ago and their phos were just lovely. (Warning to purists: This IS a modernised version of Vietnamese, meaning trendy young waiters, cosy contemporary interior and not always 100% authentic food combinations.)

We both had the Pho Bo Dac Biet (with steak, brisket and meatballs). It was easily the best meatballs I’ve had in a pho soup; dark meaty and succulent and not chewy at all. I would have liked a bit more greens to garnish the soup and the stock was not mind-blowing, just very good. Pho also gets an extra point for putting a lot of sauces on the tables (two different chili sauces, fish sauce & hoisin sauce). That way you can mix your own perfect taste combination.

Prices are low: soups cost between 6.95 – 8.45 pounds. See the whole menu here.

Pho, 163-165 Wardour Street, London (plus 4 more locations)

Read about another of my favourite Vietnamese restaurants, Song Que Café in East London.