Sour & smoky leek and potato soup

Name: Sour & smoky leek and potato soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1½ x 130g packs Cooks’ Ingredients Smoked Pancetta; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 large leeks, trimmed and washed, thinly sliced; ½ tsp caraway seeds, crushed; 1½ L vegetable stock; 4 medium Essential Red Potatoes, peeled and cubed; 1 bay leaf; 500 g sauerkraut, drained, reserving the brine; 1 tsp caster sugar; 1½ tsp paprika, to taste; 25 g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped

This recipe from Alissa Timoshkina is the ultimate weeknight comfort dish that can be prepared in advance and only improves with time. Inspired by flavours of Eastern and Central European cuisine, it turns the spotlight on the humble sauerkraut. Follow Alissa on Instagram and see our collection of other soup recipes.

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Serves6
CourseMain meal
Prepare10 mins
Cook50 mins
Total time1 hr
Plusresting

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1½ x 130g packs Cooks’ Ingredients Smoked Pancetta
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large leeks, trimmed and washed, thinly sliced
½ tsp caraway seeds, crushed
1½ L vegetable stock
4 medium Essential Red Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
500g sauerkraut, drained, reserving the brine
1 tsp caster sugar
1½ tsp paprika, to taste
¼ x 25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped

Heat a large saucepan on medium, then fry the pancetta in the oil for 6-8 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Fry the leeks with a pinch of salt in the pancetta fat for 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add the caraway seeds and cook for 1 minute more. Add the stock, the potatoes and bay leaf and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sauerkraut (reserve the brine), sugar and paprika. Return the pancetta to the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning to your liking – you can add some reserved brine and more salt for a tangy quality or a small pinch of sugar and paprika to mellow the sourness. The soup is even better cooled, covered and left in the fridge to rest overnight. But if you can’t wait, allow at least 2 hours for the flavours to mingle. Gently reheat, remove the bay leaf, then serve, topped with the parsley and some freshly ground black pepper.