Confession: I sometimes like to create alternative worlds in my head.
I play detective and follow random people when I walk the dog (she loves it), I sometimes have imaginary conversations with inanimate objects (we all do that, right?) and I confer human traits to various food ingredients. If you’re still here after reading this, I’ll deep dive. For example, garlic is a grumpy grandpa, with a big mustache: he has a heart of gold, lots of good stories and loves to entertain…but you need to get to know him first. Potatoes are construction workers who love beer. Cabbage is a fat lady with a tiny voice, who’s extremely emotional. If you played into the game, you should be wondering what about leeks and peas. Peas are shy demoiselles, who spend lots of time in their boudoir and love silky gowns. And leeks? Well…my inspiration for leeks comes from the French translation: poirot. M. Poirot. M. Hercule Poirot. I love the irony of cooking leeks in Belgium: M. Poirot was, of course, Belgian, even though everyone thought him French. Like all Belgians, he was a grand gourmand and I sometimes wonder if he loved leeks dishes, too. Guys, I live in the city of Magritte, of crazy comic strips and blunt graffiti, so such transgressions are allowed, if not encouraged. But enough madness, back to our green soup.This is such an easy dish, ready in 30 minutes, perfect after a shit day at the office, when all you need a nice pick-me-up and food that warms your soul. Furthermore, using the vertical mixer and destroying everything to a mush is compellingly cathartic. Fuck therapy, just make soup!
What you need
2 leeks (white and light green part)
300 grams peas (I used frozen)
A big lump of butter
3-4 spoons of sour cream
Salt & pepper
Fresh herbs & cheese to dress it up
How to make leeks & peas soup
First things first: remove the green, woody leaves and the root part of the leeks. Wash them well, make sure to get all the dirt out from between the leaves. Melt half of the butter in a heavy pot. In the meantime, slice the leeks and dump them into the cooking pot. Season with salt and mix when you feel like it. When the leeks are soft (10-15 minutes, give or take), add the frozen peas and stir them in. Lower the heat, cover and give it 10 more minutes. Add some water, depending on how thick you want the soup to be and bring to a boil. And that’s pretty much it, seriously. Add the rest of the butter and the sour cream and start using your vertical mixer: blissfully watch everything turn into a paste. Let your imagination wonder and give it another weez! You should already feel better now. Taste and adjust for seasoning and enjoy with your favorite green herbs and cheese. I did a mix of fennel and basil leaves, with crumbled feta and black sesame seeds. Dark crusty bread and a glass of white chilled wine make it all better.
the pickled spruit. 