Cawl Cennin
A Welsh Leek Soup
Equipment
- 1 small cold bowl to whip cream
- 1 small pot to fry shallots
- 1 Soup pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup heavy (35%) cream
- ΒΌ+ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 shallot, pealed and minced
- 1 green onion trimmed, whites and greens, minced
- 1 tsp Italian parsley leaves, cleaned, dried and minced
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (such as grapeseed, vegetable)
- 1/2 shallot, peeled and sliced - thin but not too thin
- sprinkle salt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 3-4 Leeks, whites and only small part of greens, cleaned of sand and medium diced Save greens for stock (make sure they are cleaned before you freeze)
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and medium diced
- 1 shallot, peeled and medium diced
- 1 small to medium potato, peeled and mediium diced
- salt
- white pepper
- 1 lemon, washed, zested and juiced
- 1 tsp brown sugar - optional If soup needs a little sweetness
- Water or chicken stock or vegetable stock
Instructions
ONION CREAM
- Add your cream, salt, and white pepper to a cold bowl.Whip the cream to soft peaks using either a whisk or a hand-held mixer.Stir in the shallot, green onion, and parsley.Taste and adjust the seasoning.Cover and refrigerate until service.
FRIED SHALLOTS
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.Add the shallots and fry until golden brown.Remove and, using a sieve over a heatproof bowl, drain the shallots immediately.Season the shallots with salt.Once the oil is cool, decant it to a jar so you can use it again.
SOUP
- In a soup pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.Once the butter is melted, add the leeks, onions, shallot, and potato.Cover and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes.Stir occasionally.Once the vegetables have softened, season with salt and white pepper.Pour in the lemon juice and reduce down to almost dry.Pour in your stock or water.Return the liquid to a boil before reducing it to a simmer.Simmer for 20 minutes.Stir in the lemon zest and rest off the heat for 10 minutes.Blend up the mixture until smooth.Taste and adjust the seasoning.Return the soup to a clean pot and warm it until just beginning to simmer.Ladle into warm bowls.Top with the Onion Cream and Fried Shallots.Serve immediately.