flipParmentier Soup of London Mornings
Parmentier Soup of London Mornings
Why this dish? After the failure of the June 1849 demonstration, Ledru-Rollin went into exile in London from 1849 to 1870. Far from Parisian splendor, the political exile lived frugally: a leek and potato soup, inexpensive and comforting, evokes this long crossing of the English desert.
A smooth, velvety soup of leeks and potatoes, bound with a little butter or cream. Cheap, it can be made in large quantities and reheated over several days—the cooking of someone who must count his shillings in exile.
London, citizen, is fog and solitude—but a proscribed man learns to make do with little. This leek and potato soup, I made it in a big pot; it lasts three days and warms the soul as much as the body. You mash it with a fork, you drown a piece of butter in it, and you think of the homeland while waiting for better days. The Republic will return, you see, but until then one must have supper.
- •Leeks — a few (aromatic base)
- •Potatoes — several (body of the soup)
- •Butter — a knob (binding)
- •Broth or water — as needed (liquid)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Parmentier Soup of London Mornings
A smooth, velvety soup of leeks and potatoes, bound with a little butter or cream. Cheap, it can be made in large quantities and reheated over several days—the cooking of someone who must count his shillings in exile.
Why this dish? After the failure of the June 1849 demonstration, Ledru-Rollin went into exile in London from 1849 to 1870. Far from Parisian splendor, the political exile lived frugally: a leek and potato soup, inexpensive and comforting, evokes this long crossing of the English desert.
London, citizen, is fog and solitude—but a proscribed man learns to make do with little. This leek and potato soup, I made it in a big pot; it lasts three days and warms the soul as much as the body. You mash it with a fork, you drown a piece of butter in it, and you think of the homeland while waiting for better days. The Republic will return, you see, but until then one must have supper.
Ingredients (period version)
- Leeks — a few (aromatic base)
- Potatoes — several (body of the soup)
- Butter — a knob (binding)
- Broth or water — as needed (liquid)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Leek whites — 4 (aromatic base)
- Floury potatoes — 500 g (body of the soup)
- Butter — 30 g (binding)
- Vegetable broth — 1 litre (liquid)
- Crème fraîche — 2 tbsp (optional) (creaminess)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Slice the leek whites and sweat them gently in butter without coloring.
- Add the potatoes cut into pieces, cover with broth, season with salt.
- Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes mash easily.
- Blend (or mash with a fork for a period version), adjust seasoning.
- Off the heat, add a knob of butter or the cream, and serve very hot.
How it was made : Before the blender, the soup was passed through a sieve or a food mill, or simply mashed with a fork for a rustic texture. The potato, long despised, had become established in French and English cuisine by the end of the 18th century. It is the quintessential frugal soup, requiring almost nothing and feeding many.
The contemporary twist : Serve cold in the style of a vichyssoise (created later by a French-born chef in New York), sprinkled with chopped chives and a drizzle of oil.
Sources : Tradition du potage Parmentier ; cuisine populaire française et anglaise du XIXe siècle
Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin · Charactorium
