sweet potato, leek and native thyme soup by elder beryl van-oploo
This is my take on a vichyssoise – a blended soup of potato, leek and cream. Not many people are fans of leek, but I find it adds a lot of flavour here, while the native thyme gives it a bush flavour. Native thyme grows like parsley, and many nurseries now sell native thyme plants to grow in your herb garden. You can also buy dried native thyme online.
Serves 4–6
INGREDIENTS
1 large leek
Olive oil, for frying
1 brown onion, diced
1.5kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp ground native thyme
200ml thickened cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh native thyme leaves, to serve (optional)
METHOD
Remove and discard the outer green parts of the leeks. Wash the leeks to remove any dirt, then roughly chop.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the leek, onion, sweet potato, garlic and ground thyme and cook until softened. Add 6 cups (1 1/2 litres) of water and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sweet potato is tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Blend the soup with a handheld blender or stand blender (see tip) until smooth, then strain through a fine strainer back into the pan. Reheat the soup over low heat. Pour in two-thirds of the cream and season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the remaining cream on top and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, if using.
Tip: If using a stand blender, cool the soup mixture slightly before blending to stop hot soup splattering you.
This is an edited extract from Aunty Beryl’s Cookbook by Beryl Van-Oploo, photography by Cath Muscat. Murdoch Books, $49.99
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