Recipes that make me happy - 3

Leek and Potato Soup

3 medium leeks, cleaned and sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Knorr vegetable or chicken stock cube
1 oz butter
black pepper
salt

Clean the leeks thoroughly. They grow them in sand and grit in your soup is horrid. Do this by cutting off the bottoms with the roots on and cutting off the brownest tops of the leaves. Slice the leek in half and rinse under the running cold tap, lifting all the layers to make sure there's no muck left.

Heat the butter gently to melt it in the bottom of a large soup pot. Throw in the sliced leeks and cubed potatoes. Grind some black pepper in; I like about 7-10 good grinds but you might like less. Gently fry for about 5 minutes, stirring gently every 30 seconds or so. Add about 3 pints of water and the stock cube. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender. Add a little more water (or milk) if it seems too thick. Add some salt to taste for you.

You can serve this hot or cold. It's called Potage Parmentier hot or Vichyssoise cold! It goes almost like thin mashed potatoes if you let it go cold and my husband has been known to stick it between two slices of bread as a sarnie...

Recipes that make me happy - 1

Shepherd's Pie

1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 large carrots (4 smaller ones), peeled and sliced
2 celery sticks, washed, trimmed and finely diced
Any other vegetables you like; parsnips and sweetcorn go well
1 pkg Smart Life soy grounds (or any grounds! Turkey, beef or Quorn)
good handful of frozen peas
6 medium large potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 stick butter
milk
2 tsp mixed herbs (Italian or herbs de Provence)
1 tbsp cooking oil (I use olive oil)
1 tsp powdered vegetable stock or veggie stock cube (I use a Brit one called Marigold Golden Bullion!)
1 heaped tsp Marmite
2 tsps cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

Put oil into a saucepan and heat. Gently sauté the onions, celery and carrots (and parsnips if you're using them) with a couple of good squeezes of freshly ground black pepper and the herbs, until the onions are translucent. Add the package of soy grounds and break up (if using meat, brown thoroughly at this point). Add about 2 pints of water (I usually just 3/4s fill my large saucepan which I think is about 2 pints!) and bring to the boil. Add the Marmite and stock cube/powder. Turn down, cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes or until the root vegetables are tender.

While this is simmering, cover your potato slices in water, add a little salt and bring to the boil. Boil until tender. Strain (I often reserve a little of the potato water to add to the gravy) and return to the saucepan. Mash with butter and milk. Add enough milk that it reaches the right consistency, not too sloppy but not too thick either!

Taste the grounds mixture and add salt if you need it, which you shouldn't as the stock and the Marmite are both quite salty. Into a bowl/small saucepan, strain off through a sieve and reserve the liquor. Place the mixture in the bottom of a lasagne dish. Over the top add the peas (and frozen sweetcorn if you're using it). Over the top of that, spoon the hot potato. Using the back of a fork, smooth out the potato evenly. Brown in the oven using either the broil immediately or reheat the whole shebang at about 375F for 25 minutes, or until browned and crispy on top, from cold.

For the gravy, put the strained liquor (and potato water) onto boil. Taste (VITAL!). Add a little more stock and/or Marmite to intensify flavour. Put the 2 tsps of cornstarch in a cup. Add a little water to make a thin paste. Add to the boiling gravy whilst stirring all the time (or you'll get lumps!). Add more cornstarch if you want it thicker!

Eat on its own or with a side order of Collard greens/cabbage!