Potato-Saffron Soup with Whiting

The day is green-yellow-brown autumnal, it begins to rain in the evening. Returning from Sunday’s walk, it’s getting really cozy at home in the warmth - especially when there’s soup for dinner.

The soup is quickly put on - I boil 10 smaller potatoes peeled in a good 1 liter of vegetable broth. To this I add a piece of leek in slices, carrot and celery in small cubes. Now the vegetables simmer away, about 20 minutes, until they are soft. After 10 minutes I add half a bunch of dill tied together. Also 1 good pinch of saffron, previously warmed and crushed.

The potatoes are done, now the magic wand comes into play. The bunch of dill comes out of the soup, only the tips I cut off and put them back in. I quickly pureed the soup, now I taste: a little mustard, a little sugar, a dash of olive oil, nutmeg, pepper salt,….

From the fishmonger of confidence I still had two whiting fillets in the freezer. Unfortunately, too late to defrost them completely, so they are cooked separately in the broth, which I quickly prepare from water, 1/2 bay leaf, a few peppercorns, 1 juniper berry, good salt, some celery and leek. I cut up the fillets and debone them (whiting shares the nasty little bones left over from filleting with the other members of the cod family) and put them in the broth. While they are cooking (not boiling!), I crumble a slice of spelt toast and toast it in butter with a tablespoon of nettle fruit until crisp.

A poem! The flavors combine as they can only in a good soup. We empty the ample pot two by two.

potato soup, with fried whiting, with roasted nettle seed