LITMIR.BIZ

      VICHYSSOISE

      This is a leek and potato soup that is enriched with cream, chilled and puréed, and sprinkled with chives. It’s a marriage of flavours made in heaven. It is important to include the sieving (straining); in fact, it may be necessary to do it twice to achieve the perfect smoothness.

      SERVES 6–8

      50g/2oz/½ stick unsalted butter

      350g/12oz small leeks, trimmed and finely chopped

      1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

      225g/8oz potatoes, peeled and diced

      1 celery stick, diced

      1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

      Salt and freshly ground pepper

      900ml/1½ pints/3½ cups chicken or vegetable stock (see Chapter 5)

      150ml/5fl oz/²/₃ cup milk

      150ml/5fl oz/²/₃ cup double (heavy) cream

      Snipped fresh chives, to garnish

      1 Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan. As soon as it foams, stir in the leeks, onion, potatoes and celery until well coated. Add the garlic and season generously, then place a parchment paper circle directly on top of the vegetables to keep in the steam. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and sweat over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and just beginning to colour.

      2 Remove the lid and paper from the pan and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender. Transfer to a food processor and blitz in batches until smooth. Or use a hand-held electric blender.

      3 Pass the soup through a fine sieve (strainer) set over a bowl (you may need to do this twice) and then pour into a clean pan. Season to taste then stir in the milk and most of the cream, reserving some for the garnish.

      4 Reheat the soup gently, then ladle into a large bowl, cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight, which is best.

      5 To serve, ladle the vichyssoise into serving bowls and swirl in the reserved cream. Garnish with the chives and serve ice cold.

      VARIATIONS

      ♦ Of course, this soup can also be served hot, garnished with crumbled Roquefort cheese for a special treat.

      ♦ For a richer version, replace the milk with cream or experiment with the proportion of leek to onion and potato, by adding some celeriac (celery root). I have even made it using cauliflower instead.

      CURRIED PARSNIP AND APPLE SOUP

      This soup is one of my personal favourites. It has a smooth texture in the mouth but gives a sharp kick to the back of your throat. You can leave the parsnips a little chunky, as they do tend to cook down and disintegrate more easily than the other ingredients. If you or any of your guests are vegetarian, use vegetable stock and make sure the Thai green curry paste doesn’t contain shrimp paste.

      SERVES 6–8

      25g/1oz/¼ stick butter

      1 leek, trimmed and chopped roughly into chunks

      2 celery sticks, chopped roughly into chunks

      ½ medium onion, peeled and chopped roughly into chunks

      2 potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly into chunks

      350g/12oz parsnips, peeled and chopped roughly into chunks

      1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced

      2 level tsp Thai green curry paste

      1.25 litres/2 pints/5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (see Chapter 5)

      75ml/3fl oz/¹/₃ cup pouring cream

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the leek, celery, onion, potatoes, parsnips and apple and sauté for a few minutes until they are golden brown and beginning to soften.

      2 Next add the Thai curry paste and stir into the vegetables then add a mixture of stock and cream. Add just enough to cover the vegetables – you can thin the soup further later with the additional stock if you like. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until all of the vegetables have softened completely.

      3 Remove the pan from the heat and, using a hand-held electric blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Alternatively, use a food processor. Adjust the consistency with the addition of some more stock, if you like, then season to taste. Return the pan to the heat and reheat gently.

      4 Serve immediately.