Ingredients

  • 2 TB butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 leek, finely sliced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 1 yellow or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 TB chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 TB all-purpose flour
  • 5 cups vegetable stock
  • 12 ounces potatoes, diced
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 tp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup young green beans, diagonally sliced
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • salt and ground black pepper

Method

  • Melt the butter in a heavy pan and add the onion, leek, celery, bell pepper and parsley. Cover and cook gently over low heat until the vegetables are soft.
  • Add the flour and stir until well blended. Gradually stir in the stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
  • Add the potatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Simmer, uncovered, for ten minutes.
  • Add the beans and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
  • Stir in the milk. Season with salt and pepper. Heat through. Before serving, discard the thyme stalks and bay leaf.