With summer waning, I had to sneak in one more batch of cold vichyssoise to enjoy before crisp fall days take over. It’s not surprising that I love it; I like regular potato soup just out of the fridge, as well as most chowders. It seems decadent, but it doesn’t have to be if you sub the fat-free “half-and-half” on the market (or if you are satisfied with a tiny amount of cream).
I found the original recipe on Pinterest; It’s Ina Garten’s via the Food Network. I love her addition of zucchini to the basic vichyssoise. It adds a little more color, nutrition and fiber (not to mention that it uses some of the surplus that mysteriously shows up on our porches this time of year).
I did make a few changes, noted in parentheses. The biggest change is that I used fat-free half-and-half, and more than called for. It didn’t have the creamy richness of vichyssoise with just 2 tablespoons, so I added a little at a time until it tasted right. That ended up being about a cup … more calories, yes, but no additional fat.
And it’s fairly easy, especially if you have an immersion blender to take the place of the food mill Garten uses. That seemed like too much work! And Garten’s picture showed a lot of pulp left in the mill; I wanted all of the veggies in the soup for nutrition and body. I also use my immersion blender whenever soup recipes call for the tedious process of putting soup through a regular blender a few cups at a time. Again, too much work. Just don’t lift the immersion blender while it’s on, or you’ll have to do laundry and some scrubbing in the kitchen. Been there, done that.
Vichyssoise with Zucchini
1 tbsp. unsalted butter (I used 2)
1 tbsp. olive oil
5 cups leeks, white and light green parts from 4 to 8 leeks (can use half leeks and half chopped sweet onion)
4 cups chopped unpeeled white (or Yukon gold or red potatoes, or combo)
3 cups chopped zucchini, about 2 small-to-medium zucchini
6 cups chicken broth (it’s fine with vegetable broth)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black or white pepper
2 tbsp. heavy cream (I used 1 cup fat-free half and half)
Fresh chives or julienned zucchini for garnish
Slice the leeks and rinse in a colander to remove grit. Pat dry and chop. Heat the butter and oil in large stockpot. Add the leeks and onions and saute over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Add potatoes, zucchini, broth and seasonings. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or till vegetables are tender. Cool 5 to 10 minutes and process through a food mill using the medium disc (I used an immersion blender right in the soup pot). Add cream or half and half and season to taste. Serve cold or hot, with garnish.
Serves 6. (Doubles easily).
Karen N says
Looks like something I’d really go for! Yum!