Leek & Bean Soup
A vegan Scottish-inspired soup inspired by Cock a leekie, featuring butter beans for protein and depth of flavour.
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks
- 1 medium brown onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 x 400g cans butter beans
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 6 prunes
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 250g mixed kale and spinach
- oil for frying
- salt to season
- For Green Allium oil
- 250ml light olive oil
- 1 bunch chives
- 2 tbsp sautéed leek tops
- For topping
- sautéed leek tops
- oat cream
- green allium oil
- 4 tbsp hemp seeds, toasted
Method
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Chop the green tops off the leeks, finely slice and thoroughly wash.
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Sauté in a little oil and salt.
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Add two tbsp, bunch of chives and 250ml light oil to a blender and blitz till very green, leave to infuse.
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Reserve the remainder of the sautéed leeks for dressing the soup.
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Discard the leek root ends then cut the rest of the leeks into big chunks, wash thoroughly, toss in oil and salt and roast at 180c until golden and softened.
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Finely dice the onion and celery and soften in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt.
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Add the bay leaves, then the roasted leeks and two cans of drained butter beans, followed by the vegetable stock.
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Let it simmer for 15 minutes and add the prunes.
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Simmer another 15 minutes before removing bay leaves, adding the nutritional yeast and the kale/spinach.
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Simmer till softened and either serve chunky like this or blend to a smooth soup.
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Strain the oil through a fine sieve and muslin cloth and decant into a squeeze bottle.
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Toast the hemp seeds in a dry pan.
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Ladle soup into bowls, dress with the sautéed leek tops, a drizzle of oat cream, a drizzle of allium oil and toasted hemp seeds.
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Serve with plenty of bread or toast.