Green Pea Vichyssoise Recipes

GREEN PEA VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add potatoes and 4 1/2 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add peas; cover and continue cooking until just tender, about 5 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Transfer to bowl. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Mix 1 cup cream into soup. Thin soup with more broth, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with additional cream and garnish with chives.

GREEN-PEA SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek and scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the thyme and 3 cups of chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the stock is thick and reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Add the peas, bring the stock back to a simmer, and cook until tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes.
• Remove the thyme. Working in small batches, puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. Pass the pureed pea mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl set over ice. Thin the sauce with chicken stock, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is just thicker than heavy cream. Stir it over ice until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Remove from the ice. Set aside until ready to use. Serve with sturgeon and spring vegetables (see above).

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.

LIGHT VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Place the potatoes and leeks in a 2-quart souffle dish and add 1 1/2 cups of the broth. Cover tightly with microwave plastic. Cook in a 650- to 700-watt oven at 100 percent power for 10 minutes.
• While the potatoes and leeks are cooking, combine the ricotta and 1/4 cup of the broth in the food processor. Process until very smooth.
• Remove potato and leek mixture from oven. Prick the plastic to release steam and uncover. Add to the food processor with the remaining broth and process until very smooth. Remove to a serving bowl. Stir in the buttermilk and salt and chill for 3 hours or overnight. Serve with a sprinkling of chives on top, if desired.

SORREL VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan cook the leek and the onion with salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, add the potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, the broth, and the water, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Stir in the sorrel and simmer the mixture for 1 minute. Purée the mixture in a blender in batches, transferring it as it is puréed to a bowl, and let it cool. Stir in the cream, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste, chill the soup, covered, for at least 4 hours or overnight, and serve it sprinkled with the additional chives.