Leek & Potato soup with crunchy seed toppers

This traditional favourite has been given the Pepo spin combining sunflower oil with butter to sauté the leek and then finished with crunchy, savoury seed toppers for a complementary mix of textures rather than stock-standard croutons. Finally a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and some herbs/edible flowers makes this dish both delicious and visually appealing. Viola!

This recipe makes enough for 10 serves so its great for sharing

This soup & toppers are:

• Gluten free
• Rich in vitamins and minerals
• Nut free if you omit the walnuts
• Vegan and dairy free option if you omit the butter and cream

For the soup you'll need:

• 4 leeks (using the white section and some of the green finely sliced)
• 2kg potatoes (use your favourite soup potatoes)
• 2.5L of chicken or vegetable stock
• 2TBSP butter + 2 TBSP sunflower oil (or 4TBSP sunflower oil for vegan)
• 4 garlic cloves crushed 
• 1 cup cream or coconut cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the seed toppers you'll need:

• 1.5 cups of mixed whole seed & chopped nuts (we used 1/2 cup each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds & walnuts)
• 1/2 tsp of pink salt
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp of onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 1-2 tsp of mixed dried herbs (any of parsley, dill, oregano, sage, thyme etc) 
• 1TBSP Sunflower oil

Method:

1. Melt butter and/or sunflower oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sautee leek and garlic until soft & sweet.
2. Add potatoes & broth. Turn heat up to simmer and simmer gently for 30mins with lid on until potato is very soft.
3. Meanwhile preheat oven to 160C
4. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper
5. Mix all the seed & nut topper ingredients in a large bowl & then spread over the baking tray (ideally spreading enough for air flow and maximum crunchiness)
6. Bake for 15mins or until golden brown and crispy (use a spatula to mix around halfway through)
7. Once cooked set aside to cool on a wire rack
8. Once potato is soft enough turn the heat off and blitz the soup with a stick blender just until you achieve a puree consistency.
9. Mix through cream of choice & salt and pepper to taste
10. Serve up soup into large bowls, finishing with a generous drizzle of pumpkin seed oil, crunchy seed toppers, fresh chopped herbs of choice (dill or chives are great options!)

Enjoy with a delicious side salad or toasted crusty bread if you really need something to mop up the bowl!