Tuesday, July 14, 2015

A Writer's Winter: Leek and Penne Soup Recipe

Leek & Penne Soup
This lovely soup is a concoction of my own design. I originally found a post on Pinterest of a spinach soup but I decided against it when my grocery store didn't stock any of the ingredients. So here is my first ever home made soup. It didn't taste too shabby! Not only that but it's awesome if you're on a budget or at university!

Ingredients:
Black and gold Parmesan grated cheese
Oxo chicken stock cubes
One leek
Penne pasta
Salt & pepper (optional)

Steps:
1. Bring 5 cups of water to the boil in a large saucepan with 3 chicken stock cubes. Allow to dissolve and turn to a simmer. Alternatively, if you don't use stock cubes, use 4 cups of liquid chicken stock and 1 cup of plain water.
2. Add 3 cups of Penne pasta to the saucepan. Allow to boil for 6 minutes or until slightly soft/hard.
3. Clean and chop off the dark leaves of the leek. Place the leaves in a plastic bag and freeze for future vegetable stock. Chop the roots off the remaining stalk. Slice the leek however you prefer. Prepare a large bowl of water and allow the chopped leek to settle on the surface until the dirt drifts to the bottom. Drip dry the leek in your hands and transfer the leek to the saucepan. Mix until combined and allow the pasta and leek to soften.
4. Scoop into bowls using a soup ladle. Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan, salt and pepper to your taste. Place leftovers in fridge or freezer.

And there you have it. It's super tasty, cheap and makes enough to serve about 4-5 people in one saucepan. It comes in at around $8 in total, so I'm quite happy with how much I got out of it! I had it with my Mum and about half of the meal was put in the fridge for dinner tomorrow night. Some alterations I could suggest are carrots, different stock and whole grain pasta. I will certainly be making this when I head back to university. It could last me for a week!

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