FOOD
LIVING
A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY
The daughter of two chefs, Katie Pix is the perfect person to share her “comfort food” – the dishes that connect us to the times when we felt happiest. In her debut cookbook, she creates healthy, nourishing versions of family favourites to enjoy every day
LEEK, PEA & POTATO SOUP WITH BUTTERY CORNBREAD
Serves 4 Takes 40 minutes
“In a Liverpool kitchen not altered since the early 1980s, Grandma digs out her trusted saucepan and clicks on the temperamental stove.
“Me and my brother have slept during the four-and-a-half-hour journey and are recharged, while Mum and Dad nurse a hot cup of tea as they shake off the stress of the M1.
“We eagerly await the ladles of rich leek and potato soup – it engulfs us with a warm hug and we dip in hunks of crusty white bread spread with an inch-thick slab of butter. It turns out the secret to her legendary soup is a metric ton of butter. And yes, it nourished our souls, but here’s a version that nourishes our bodies, too.”
INGREDIENTS For the cornbread
• Oil or softened butter, for greasing
•150g/5oz wholemeal flour
• 100g/4oz polenta
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 250ml/9fl oz skimmed milk (or dairy-free alternative)
• 25g/1oz butter, melted
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten
For the soup
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large leeks, finely sliced and well rinsed
• 1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped