Recipes: Mandys Potato and Irish Soda Bread

MANDY’S POTATO AND LEEK SOUP This potato and leek soup is the perfect accompaniment to the Irish Soda Bread.

It is argued by people in the soup world that the dish is actually the traditional French soup Vichyssoise served hot. But, let’s face it, most of us associate it with St Patrick’s Day rather than with a French Chef who claimed to have created it in the Ritz-Carlton New York in 1917. This recipe is named after my friend Mandy because it does not contain any celery, a food she firmly believes should become extinct. However, if you are not like Mandy and like celery, you can add two stalks (chopped) to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS • 6 leeks (the white part only) • 500g white potatoes • 1 large white onion • 4 clove garlic • 1500ml vegetable stock • 500ml oat milk • 2tbsp olive oil

• 1 pinch salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Chop both the onions and the garlic finely. 2. Wash, peel and chop the potatoes into cubes.

3. Slice the leeks.

4. Heat the oil on a low heat and add the onions, garlic and leeks. Let it ‘sweat’ until the vegetable become soft; do not let them brown.

5. Add the vegetable stock, potatoes, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Once it is boiled let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Once it is ready carefully scoop it into the blender. I like to cover the blender with a towel in case anything goes wrong, you will be more protected from the hot liquid as will your walls, floors etc. When the soup is blended pour it back into the saucepan.

7. Add the oat milk and stir bringing the soup back to the boil. 8. Serve with Irish Soda Bread.

IRISH

SODA BREAD Recipe by The Gibraltar Vegan instagram.com/thegibraltarvegan

Toasted for breakfast, served with soup for lunch or used as something to soak up your sauce at dinner - soda bread does it all. It is also great sustenance at the start, middle or end of St Patrick’s Day.

This recipe is a ‘chuck everything in the bowl and mix’ recipe; no kneading, proofing and praying to St Patrick that it turns out right is required. The best part is that is done in less than 45 mins.

If you want to great creative, you can add some chopped nuts like walnuts or even sultanas into the mixture.

INGREDIENTS:

• 150g whole-wheat flour • 200g plain white flour • 60g porridge oats (50g for cooking and 10g for ‘decoration’ on the top of the

bread) • 1tsp table salt • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda • 1tbsp fresh lemon juice • 300ml unsweetened oak milk

METHOD:

1. Mix the plain white and wholewheat flour together with the oats, salt and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda in a bowl. 2. Add the milk and lemon juice and stir until it is blended and you have a nice dough. 3. Scoop the dough out and place it on a baking tray/pizza tray that has been dusted with wholewheat flour.

4. Cut a deep cross in the middle of the bread (if you don’t the bread will not cook properly) and sprinkle the remainder of the oats over it.

5. Bake in a fan assisted oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.

6. To check if the bread is ready, remove it from the oven using a towel or oven glove to protect your hands from the heat, turn the loaf upside down and tap the bottom. If it has a hollow sound your bread is done. If it doesn’t pop it back in for five minutes.