Potato soup with vegetables

• 500 g of potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek (or onion)
• 1/2 zucchini
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1.2 l of vegetable soup base (or water)
• 100 g of peas (frozen or fresh)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• a pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
• fresh parsley for decoration
• sour cream (optional)

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Cut the carrot, leek, zucchini and celery stalks into thin slices. Finely chop the garlic.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the leek (or onion) and garlic. Sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.

Add carrot, potato, celery, zucchini and bay leaf. Pour in the vegetable stock (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes, until the potato and carrot are soft.

Towards the end of cooking (last 5 minutes) add more peas. If you use frozen peas, there is no need to thaw them beforehand. Cook until the peas are cooked and the potatoes are completely soft.

When the vegetables are cooked, season the soup to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If you like, you can lightly blend the soup with a stick blender for a creamier texture, but leave some of the vegetable chunks for texture. If desired, you can also add a little sour cream for a creamy taste.

Serve the soup warm, garnished with freshly chopped parsley and a spoonful of sour cream.

Tips:

• If you want a richer soup, you can add other vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower or beans.
• Instead of water or vegetable stock, you can use chicken stock for a fuller flavor.