After declaring we’d had our share of Soviet-era gruel, Catalyst asked Bethan Wainman to help us cook. Here’s another entry in a series of cheap student recipe columns for a good feed.
by Bethan Wainman
Every uni student should be eating this soup! Anyone can make it, it is so easy. And it’s cheap! Large, washed chat potatoes at Coles are never more than 40c each. This soup is great to eat fresh, kept warm in a slow cooker or reheated in the microwave. Eat for lunch, dinner or as a light snack.
Photo – Bethan WainmanIngredients
- 1 leek
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic or 2 tsp crushed garlic from jar
- 1 chicken flavoured stock cube
- 8 small potatoes or 4 large
- 1 cup of full-cream milk
- Handful of fresh basil and parsley or 2 tsp of dried mixed herbs
Method
- Slice the leaves off the leek, cut it lengthways. Wash thoroughly under running water until all the dirt is gone. Cut into thin slices.
- Heat oil in medium sized pan with lid. Meanwhile, crush the garlic and chop finely. Add garlic and leek to pan.
- Cook the leek and garlic until limp and starting to brown, around eight minutes.
- Boil the kettle with three cups of water (750 mls). In a separate jug or bowl, dissolve the stock cube.
- Peel and chop the potatoes into medium sized chunks. Add to pan. Cook for a few minutes.
- Add the stock to the pan. Close the lid and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the potato is soft.
- Add the milk and herbs just before serving.