During colder weather I make soup on a weekly if not daily basis but the month of July is not the time to cozy up with a steaming bowl of the stuff. I've never given chilled soups a chance so today I decided to make my version of Vichyssoise.
Vee shee swaz.
Vichyssoise...sounds like some super fancy French soup but it's probably one of the simplest dishes I'll ever make. There is some debate over whether this soup is a French or American creation. Most credit the invention to French Chef Louis Diat of the Ritz Carlton New York in 1917. His chilled potato leek soup got its name from the town of Vichy, a town not far from his childhood home of Montmarault, France.
I hope you enjoy my Vichyssoise recipe during the remaining days of summer...
*** Leeks are grown in sandy soil so you can expect to find a fair amount of dirt. I find the easiest way to wash the leeks well (if the recipe calls for chopped leeks) is to chop 'em up, swirl them around in a bowl of cold water, and transfer to a colander. Since all the dirt will settle to the bottom of the bowl, just scoop out the leeks with your hands into the colander. ***
Vichyssoise with Roasted Garlic
Vegan
Ingredients
1 head of garlic
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped and throughly washed
1 onion, chopped
3/4 c dry white wine
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
6 c water (or vegetable broth)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the top 1/4 of the pointy end of the garlic to expose all the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, and bake for about 1 hour (or until the top is browned). Set aside to cool.
While the garlic is roasting, heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and onion and saute for about 5 minutes. You want the leeks and onions to be translucent but not quite brown. Add the wine and cook for 2 more minutes.
Next add your diced potatoes and water (or broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
Set aside to cool.
Squish out the garlic cloves by applying pressure to the bottom of the bulb. Add garlic to pot.
Puree the soup using an immersion blender (or food processor) until smooth. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
*a note on consistency...this version was a bit thicker than I would have liked...in the future I would thin it out with a little more water/broth and maybe pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve???
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