Meeting Room Bug Soup

Ingredients

• 2 leeks
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 liter vegetable stock
• 4 eggs
• 2 heads chicory
• 4 small tomatoes
• 4 large square croutons (or slices of toasted bread, halved diagonally)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Wash and slice the leeks into rings. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
2. Heat olive oil in a soup pot and sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
3. Add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
4. Add the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs (8 minutes), cool and peel them.
6. Trim the chicory ends, remove 4 long leaves and cut into thin strips.
7. Halve the tomatoes.
8. Place half a tomato cut side down in each soup bowl as a ‘microphone base’.
9. Wrap each egg in a chicory strip and stand it upright on the tomato to resemble a recording device.
10. Place a square crouton next to it as the ‘TV’.
11. Season the soup with salt and pepper and pour around the object.
12. Serve immediately.

Serving notes

• Sprinkle some extra finely chopped leek over the soup for a fresh touch.
• Assemble the bowls only when the ‘bug’ is centered for best effect.