Stilton and leek soup is something that I hadn’t had before I went to England. We were out in the middle of the country at a pub called the De La Pole arms in Wingfield Village. This is a village that my ancestors settled around the 14th century. Today, there are only about 300 people that live spread out in the area, and Wingfield consists of the bare essentials. You have your castle, your church, and most importantly, your pub. We went to the church first and paid our respects. We were lucky enough to be greeted by some locals who were very hospitable and showed us around. One gentleman, who was a bell ringer at the church, took us to the top of the church to see the bells and the trap door that opens out onto the roof of the church, where you can get a great view of Wingfield Castle. After all of the climbing, we were hungry and ventured across the street to the pub for lunch. My wife ordered the stilton and leek soup which was excellent. Ever since then, my wife has wanted me to make her this soup, so I finally did last night. Making and eating the soup took me back to my tiny village in the English countryside. This is what is great about food. Food can take you those places you want to go, when you can’t always get there. The smells and tastes whisk you away, and for if a brief moment you are somewhere else. This is a great fall or winter soup as it is thick and hearty. You will need:
3 Cups of fresh leeks chopped (both white and green parts)
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced carrot
4 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
½ tablespoon of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 potatoes peeled and diced into thin slices
5 cups of chicken stock
¼ cup of heavy cream
10 oz of English Stilton
4 tablespoons of Port Wine
Chives for garnish
Salt and Pepper to taste
Start by sautéing the butter, leeks, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften. Once the vegetables soften, add the chicken stock and the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes soften. Discard the bay leaf and, move the soup in small batches to a food processor and blend until the soup is nicely pureed. Pour the pureed soup back into the pan and set to low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and crumble in the Stilton. You do not want the soup to boil. Stir in the port wine which will add a great dimension to your soup. Nothing goes better with Stilton then port. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and garnish each bowl of soup with fresh chives. Serve immediately and think of the rustic pubs in the English countryside. This one takes me back.