Catherine Fulvio shares with us her recipe of a leek, chilli and spinach soup with mini sundried tomato soda scones.

Ingredients

For the Soup

  • 1 leek, sliced finely
  • 1 red chilli, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • 1 bay leaves
  • 2 large potatoes, peeled and finely diced
  • 1.2 litre vegetable stock
  • a generous handful of spinach, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Scones

  • 220g plain flour
  • 75g chilled butter, diced
  • 3 sundried tomato halves, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary and thyme
  • 1 teaspoon bread soda
  • 100g plain yoghurt
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • egg wash, to glaze
  • sprigs of thyme, for garnishing

Method

Catherine says: "These aren’t just for parade day – the soup and scones are perfect for forest or mountain hikes – warm and hearty!"

  1. To make the soup, heat a large saucepan with oil over a medium heat, add the leek and sauté until softened but not brown.
  2. Add the chilli, thyme, bay leaves and diced potatoes, sauté for about 1 minute, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Pour in the stock and simmer slowly for about 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes are softened.
  4. When ready to serve, add the spinach and stir well. Check the seasoning again by adding salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed.
  5. To make the scones, pre heat the oven to 210°C (fan 190°C, gas 7). Line a baking tray with parchment. 
  6. Place the flour in a large bowl and rub the butter in to form breadcrumbs. Add the chopped sundried tomato, chives, rosemary and thyme.
  7. Sieve the bread soda in and stir well. Mix in the plain yoghurt and then enough water to form a soft scone dough.
  8. Dust a surface with plain and knead the dough very lightly. Pat the dough evenly to about 4cm in height, using a very small scone cutter, cut the shapes out.
  9. Place the scones onto a lined baking tray, glaze with egg wash and bake in the hot oven for about 10 minutes depending on the size. Keep an eye on them.
  10. Cool on a rack, sprinkle sprigs of thyme over the top. To serve, remove the bay leaf from the soup, ladle into a bowl and serve with the sundried tomato scones or pour into a thermos to take on a festive picnic.