The Sea of Tea

After 8 months of more or less shelving the feeling of being organised I'm beginning to get it together on Sundays for the week ahead. Last Sunday I put together a simple soup for lunches using russet potatoes and a few members from the onion family. I added two of those good looking little mottled courgettes that are making appearances at both the market and Sabor Latino right now. It looks like maybe the time for young leeks is upon us too so don't sleep on it, people! I admit I sort of did ...forgetting a bunch of sleek leeks in the bottom of the refrigerator drawer for over 2 weeks. I was surprised by how much they'd kept their colour and vigour despite the neglect, and how nicely the soup turned out. The courgettes are slightly on the sweet side and seemed to work well with the earthiness of the onionses.

Onion Family Soup with Courgette and Sage

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp duck fat
4 young leeks with as much green as you can retain without sacrificing texture, sliced crosswise
1/2 red onion
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
4 russet potatoes, diced
2 small courgettes, diced
About 10 leaves fresh sage, left whole
1 1/2 litres chicken stock
1 Tbsp fleur de sel
freshly ground black pepper
3-4 Tbsps white wine vinegar

Heat the fats in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add about 1/2 tsp of the salt, the onions, leeks, shallots and garlic. Lower the heat a little and sauté until everything is starting to get melty and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, courgettes, sage leaves, salt and 5-6 twists of black pepper. Stir a few times and continue sautéing another 10 minutes. When the vegetables are quite melty and golden, add the chicken stock and turn the heat up high. Bring to the boil, then reduce to minimum, cover and simmer the soup for at least 40 minutes, stirring every so often.  Blend with a hand blender. Add the vinegar and adjust the salt to taste. Serve each bowl with a swirl of cream or yogurt and a couple of sautéed sage leaves.