Vanilla Leek Soup with Crispy Bacon

What is it?

Leek soup is a simple soup built around slowly cooked leeks, usually blended until smooth. My version adds vanilla and is finished with small pieces of crispy bacon. The vanilla isn’t there to make the soup sweet. It sits in the background, alongside the mild sweetness of the leeks.

Atlas note

I have made much more elaborate dinners for Harry Potter nights. These days, I would rather have this. Leek soup, something with pastry afterwards, and apple crumble if I am making dessert. The vanilla started as a small addition to an otherwise very simple soup, and now I don’t make it without it. I don’t want enough to make the soup taste of vanilla. Just enough that I can tell when it isn’t there. And then bacon on top. I like the contrast between a completely smooth soup and something crisp, so I fry the bacon separately and add it at the end. Usually more than is strictly necessary. It isn’t food from Harry Potter. It’s just what I want to eat while watching it.

What I use

leeks
large potato
butter
stock
half a vanilla pod
salt and black pepper
bacon

How I make it

I cook the leeks and vanilla slowly in butter until they are caramelised. I add the potatoes and stock, then simmer everything until the potatoes are soft. I blend the soup until completely smooth and adjust the consistency with stock. While the soup is cooking, I fry the bacon until crisp and cut or crumble it into small pieces. I serve the soup hot with the bacon scattered over the top.

On the Screen

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone →