Comfort Food: Leek and Butterbean Soup With Chilli Butter

We’re all about helping you find those moments to unwind – whether that’s providing the squishiest layers to wrap up in, or sharing an easy and comforting recipe to make as you relax into the evening.

So this Christmas, we’ve partnered with foodie, Florence Blair, to bring you a warm bowl of something extra comforting. Creamy, quick and nourishing, it’s the perfect mid-week recipe for the busy festive period.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g leeks 4 garlic cloves
1 unwaxed lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
660g jar of butterbeans (or 2x 400g tins)
500ml stock (veg or chicken)
Big bunch of dill
Yoghurt, for serving

For the chilli butter

100g unsalted butter
2 tsp aleppo pepper

Method

Cut the leeks into 1 inch chunks and thinly slice the garlic. Using a vegetable peeler, peel two big strips of zest from the lemon.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot; once warm add the leeks, the lemon peel, a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over a medium-low heat with the lid on for 10-12 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant. If using jarred beans, add the entire contents of the jar to the pot, bean liquid and all.
If using tins, drain and rinse then add to the pot with a little splash of water. Use the back of your wooden spoon to crush roughly a third of the beans - this will add creaminess and help to thicken the soup. Add the stock, bring up to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every so often to encourage the thickening process.
As the soup simmers, make the chilli butter. Put the butter in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat and cook for 5-6 minutes until the milk solids have browned. Stir every so often at first, then fairly continuously for the last couple of minutes to pick up the browning milk solids from the bottom of the pan. Once the butter smells like digestive biscuits, remove from the heat and add the aleppo pepper and lightly season with salt.
Juice the lemon and roughly chop the dill. Add these to the soup and taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls, top with a dollop of yoghurt and spoon over the chilli butter.

Florence Blair is recipe writer and food stylist. Sign up to her newsletter here.