cold vichyssoise

Luisa, author of Cooking with my Carmela , brings us the recipe for vichyssoise or leek cream, a very easy recipe to prepare that succeeds wherever it goes. Recipes that, like this one, serve you both cold in hot weather and warm in the cold months are the most popular, you'll see.

At home, summer and dinner are an odyssey, since you come up late from the pool or go out for a walk... and there is always a bit of chaos and the last thing you want is to think about what to prepare. That is why I count on having something prepared for the nights, and this cream is one of my salvations: the fresh vichyssoise cream at home is very popular, and when autumn arrives we can serve it hot .

I also try to make them as low in fat as possible, so I don't usually add cream and it comes out delicious anyway. Let's move on to the recipe and tell me what you think.

Round Evolution Le Creuset cocotte and porcelain bowls by Laura Ashley .

Ingredients

• 300g leeks, only the white part
• 60g of extra virgin olive oil
• 50g butter (optional)
• 250g of potatoes
• 700g of water or vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper
• Nutmeg

Preparation

1. In a saucepan add oil and when it is hot fry the chopped leeks a little. Poach carefully so that it does not stick to us.
2. Once they are ready add the potato cut into halves or quarters (depending on how big they are) and the water. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes, until the leek and potato soften.
3. When time passes, add the butter (optional), let cool and blend well with an electric mixer, it will be like a smooth cream.
4. Add nutmeg and let cool in the fridge.

Grades

• Optionally, after cooking and before grinding you can add butter, cheese or cooking cream. In my case I don't add cream, but you have the option to do so, it's a matter of taste.
• For cooking I have used a cocotte , which heats up very quickly and distributes the heat very well over the height of its walls. But you can use a stainless steel pot or a pressure cooker to save time. If you choose the latter, fry the leek in it uncovered, and when it is ready add the water, salt and potato and then cover. Follow the rest of the steps normally (adjusting the cooking time to your pressure cooker).

Laura Ashley porcelain bowls , Laura Ashley kitchen apron and Evolution Le Creuset round cocotte .

• You have the possibility of serving it hot in winter and cool in summer, an ideal cream for dinner at home.
• When serving, garnish with seeds and mint leaves, the cream will be much more attractive and will give it a crunchy touch. You can also add some fried bread cubes.