Garden Greens Vichyssoise Recipes

CLASSIC VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot melt butter over low heat. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and stir well. Cover pot and continue to cook for 12 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.
• Puree soup in blender or food processor and cool.
• Prior to serving add cream. If you are serving this soup warm you need to reheat the soup slowly so that the cream does not change consistency.

ZUCCHINI VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a large stockpot, add the leeks, and saute over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, zucchini, chicken stock, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and then process through a food mill fitted with the medium disc. Add the cream and season to taste. Serve either cold or hot, garnished with chopped chives and/or zucchini.

GARDEN-GREENS VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot
• Add 3 peeled and cubed potatoes and 2 cups fresh spinach or other greens
• Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened.
• Add 4 cups stock. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes
• Purée, then let cool. Stir in 1/2 cup or more cream before serving.
• Garnish: Olive oil.

VICHYSSOISE WITH SEVEN GREENS

Steps:

• Use any combination of spinach, watercress, green onion, mustard greens, dandelion greens, parsley, collards or possibly chicory. Place the potatoes, leeks, onion, chicken broth and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer partially covered for 20 min, or possibly till vegetables are tender. Add in the mixed greens and simmer 7 min, or possibly till tender. Place the mix in a blender and puree, adding the cream as you blend. Pour the soup into a serving bowl and add in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. If soup is too thick, add in some chicken broth or possibly water; if it is too watery, add in more cream. Chill. Garnish with watercress. Note: This soup can be served warm. Don't boil when reheating.

GREEN PEA VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a large saucepot, saute the onion in the olive oil 5 minutes. Add the broth, seasonings, and potato. Bring to a boil and coook until potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and cook 5 minutes longer.
• Puree the soup. You may use an immersion or regular blender to do this or a food mill. If using the immersion blender I prefer to strain the soup to take out the pea coverings using a fine sieve. The food mill does this for you.
• To serve: Soup may be served hot or cold. Top each serving with a swirrl of plain non-fat yogurt.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Gently sweat the chopped leeks and the chopped onion in butter or margarine until soft, about 8 minutes. Do NOT let them brown.
• Add potatoes and stock to the saucepan. Salt and pepper to taste; do not overdo them! Bring to the boil, and simmer very gently for 30 minutes.
• Puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Cool. Gently stir in the cream before serving.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S ZUCCHINI VICHYSSOISE (INA GARTEN)

Steps:

• Sauté onions over medium heat. Add all ingredients and simmer 30 minutes; taste.

VICHYSSOISE WITH GREEN GARLIC

Steps:

• Wash leeks or peel onions. Slice or chop.
• Combine the water or stock, potatoes, leeks or onions, garlic, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the mixture simmers steadily. Cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool or chill. Then season to taste.
• Puree in a blender, in batches if necessary, and chill completely. Stir in the cream or half-and-half. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve, garnished with parsley or chervil.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in the pressure cooker pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, celery leaves and 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until soft, approximately 8 minutes. If the leeks start to brown during this process, reduce the heat.
• Drain the potato pieces and add to the pot along with the simmering chicken broth. Clamp on the cooker's lid, (according to the manufacturer's instructions) and bring to full pressure over high heat.
• Once pressure is attained (there will be a loud whistle) back the heat down to medium-low, just maintaining a hissing of steam for 8 minutes.
• Kill the heat and release the steam pressure by opening the dump valve or setting the cooker under cold, running water. When the lid can be removed, carefully transfer the mixture to a blender carafe. (If the mixture fills your carafe more than two-thirds full, work in two batches!)
• Top the carafe with the main lid but remove the center lid so that air can escape as it heats and expands. Cover the lid tightly with a tea towel and blend on low for 1 minute before slowly increasing the speed to smoothly puree the potatoes. (Although you want to increase the speed slowly, try not to puree the potatoes too long as they could become gummy.)
• Transfer the mixture back to the pot and whisk in the cream. Stir in the white pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I always need the rest of the salt). Chill thoroughly then serve garnished with a small spoonful of the roe and dill fronds.
• Tightly covered, the vichyssoise will keep a week in the refrigerator. The soup can also be frozen in ice-cube trays then kept in freezer bags for up to three months.