Leek, Potato, and Fennel Soup with Lemon (Instant Pot Friendly)
If velvet were a soup, this handsome, savoury take on a traditional pairing, combining leek, potato, and fennel, in a gloriously airy yet plush puree, would surely be that soup.
Servings: 8 generous servings
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 150 g sweet onions roughly chopped (about 1 small onion)
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 450 g leeks white and light green parts only (dark green sections removed and discarded), rinsed carefully to remove grit and roughly chopped (2-3 leeks)
- 450 g yellow fleshed potatoes peeled and roughly chopped (about 2 large potatoes)
- 350 g fennel bulb approximate weight; white parts of the bulb roughly chopped, a handful of fronds reserved (about 1 medium bulb)
- 2 litres vegetable stock see note
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- lemon wedges for each serving to serve
Optional; Fennel Frond, Lemon Zest, and Black Pepper Butter
- ½ cup salted butter vegan or dairy, softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fennel fronds reserved from fennel bulb
- fine zest of 1 lemon organic and unwaxed if possible
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- (Makes about 3 litres, or approximately 8 servings)
For the soup, if using an Instant Pot:
- Set on saute mode, add the olive oil, and sweat down the onions, garlic cloves, and leeks for about 10 minutes until soft and reduced in volume.
- Add the potatoes, fennel, and broth, secure the lid, and with the pressure release valve set to “sealing”, and set your Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Important note: Once your Instant Pot has completed its cooking time, DO NOT release the pressure manually (as this will put you at risk of releasing boiling hot liquid out of the pressure release valve). Let the pressure release naturally on its own, making sure the locking pin has released (dropping down) before you unlock the instant pot and remove the lid.
- Once the soup has cooled, carefully transfer and blend in an upright blender, blending a bit longer than you think necessary to achieve the smoothest possible texture.
- Season the soup to taste with any extra salt if needed, and generous grinds of fresh black pepper.
- Reheat the soup to serve as needed, serve piping hot with extra grinds of black pepper on top. Make sure each bowl of soup is accompanied by a wedge of lemon to squeeze directly into each serving just before eating, or if you prefer, add at least half a lemon's worth of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the soup, taste, and adjust for lemon, before ladling out the soup.
For the soup, If cooking on the stove top:
- Follow the above directions, instead using a heavy bottomed soup pot on medium heat, adding the olive oil and sweating down the onions, garlic cloves, and leeks, then adding the potatoes, fennel, and broth, and cooking the soup for about 20 minutes, or until everything is soft and falling apart. Proceed as above.
Optional; Fennel Frond, Lemon Zest, and Black Pepper Butter
- Combine room temperature butter, chopped fennel fronds, lemon zest, and generous grinds of black pepper. Mix thoroughly until combined, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve thickly spread onto soft bread, and dunk into the hot soup to your heart's delight.
Notes
A word of caution on pureeing hot soup. Theoretically, you are not supposed to blend hot liquids in an upright blender, and should let the soup cool down before blending. I often do blend my soups when still warm - just be extra careful when opening the lid to your blender - if you take the top off too quickly with hot liquid inside, the liquid can splash up towards you. Taking the lid off quite slowly lessens the chance of this happening, and I guess I like to live on the edge because I do blend the soup while it is still quite warm. If you prefer not to blend a hot liquid for sensible safety reasons, let the soup cool to room temperature, then blend as desired, or use an immersion blender.
A note about using prepared vegetable stock: many stocks, bouillons, and concentrates are quite salty, so make sure to taste your soup, once blended, before adding extra salt.