Curried leek and sweet potato soup recipe

Curried leek and sweet potato soup is a delicious spiced warming thick soup for supping on chilly days. Great served with fingers of grilled naan bread or toasted ciabatta slices you really can't go wrong with this simple recipe. Spiced with turmeric, clove, coriander, cumin, mild chilli and cardamom it is full of aromatic flavours that compliment the sweet potato so well. Adding a little cream at the end along with some coriander finishes off the soup beautifully, giving a silky smooth texture and fresh, herby flavour. And the best bit about this leek and potato recipe is that it won't take you long to get a finished product on the table, allowing you to tuck in, in no time. All the prep will take just 15 minutes and then all that's left to do is to leave to splash and simmer away until the veggies are cooked about forty five minutes later, ideal!

Ingredients

• 1kg leeks, finely chopped in a food processor
• 1kg sweet potato, peeled and finely chopped in a food processor
• 50g butter
• 1tbsp Light and mild olive oil
• 2tsp ground turmeric
• 1tsp each of ground clove, coriander, cumin, mild chilli and cardamom
• Generous sprinkling of ground sea salt and black pepper
• 11/2 pints Vegetable stock
• 300ml single cream
• 50g fresh coriander leaf, finely chopped, leaving a few whole leaves for garnish

Method

1. Gently sweat the shredded leek in the butter and olive oil for 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the spices and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the sweet potato, seasoning and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Whiz in batches in a food processor with the single cream and coriander until smooth. Top with the coriander leaf and serve with fingers of warm bread.