Cream of leek soup

It's really cold outside, we come home after a long walk and are frozen through - what could be better than a big bowl of warming soup? The cold season is perfect for hearty meals, delicious stews and creamy soups! Like this delicious cream of leek soup with toasted croutons and crispy bacon.

WINTER RECIPE WITH MARKET VEGETABLES

While light clear soups or gazpacho are served up in spring and summer, my motto in winter is: the creamier the better! Hearty, hearty soups come back to my table regularly, they can be prepared wonderfully and are quick to make. Classic winter vegetables such as leeks, potatoes, onions and garlic always end up in my basket when I go shopping at the market. Potatoes, in particular, are stock items and keep all winter long. Not only do they taste great in soup, but also in strudel, such as this chanterelle strudel recipe. The chanterelles can be replaced by other mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS FROM ST. NIKOLAUS

A great place to go for fresh vegetables is not only the Market hall also the St. Nicholas farmer's market at the Brunnenplatzl. The farmers' market is a small but nice market with a manageable offer. Every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. you can buy fresh food here - all kinds of seasonal fruit and vegetables from the Wach family from Thaur, but also meat and dairy products and bread from the Astl family from Weerberg.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR CREAM OF LEEK SOUP (FOR 4 SERVINGS):

FOR THE SOUP:

2 large leeks (approx. 500 g)
400 g mainly waxy potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
900 ml vegetable stock
50 ml white wine
1 bay leaf
1 small bunch of thyme
20 g butter for browning
3 tbsp creme fraiche
1/2 bunch fresh parsley

TO TASTE:

Nutmeg, grated
Cayenne pepper
Salt

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

3-4 slices brown bread
1 clove garlic
some olive oil

Bacon cubes, to taste

AND THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE:

Remove the roots from the leeks, wash the stalks well and cut them into fine rings. Wash, peel and coarsely chop the potatoes. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Heat the butter in a pot. Sauté the leek in it over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and the potato pieces. Deglaze with white wine and add vegetable stock. Add bay leaf and fresh thyme, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove about half of the potato and leek pieces, finely mash the rest with crème fraiche and then add the pieces back into the soup. Season to taste with nutmeg, cayenne pepper and salt.

For the toasted black bread cubes, cut the bread into cubes and toast them in a pan with the pressed garlic and a little olive oil until they are nice and crispy. Remove the bread cubes from the pan and fry the bacon cubes (without adding oil) until crispy. Wash the parsley, shake dry, dry the leaves with a tea towel, chop coarsely and serve the soup together with the parsley, brown bread and bacon cubes.

MEAL TIME! ENJOY IT!

You can find more wintery soups and stews here: For example, how about this hearty onion soup with crusty brown bread or a classic Austrian goulash?