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Warm or cold soup? Here is my Vichyssoise summer soup

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Surely leek and potato soup is a great classic, yet all it takes is the addition of one ingredient to turn it into something unexpected that can be enjoyed hot or cold: we are talking about the Vichyssoise summer soup, see how to prepare it!

So, let’s find out what it is. Its origin is traced back to the chef of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York who is said to have invented it in the summer of 1917 to provide relief to his guests in times when air conditioning wasn’t  available. This soup prepared with two humble, easily available vegetables is transformed into a gourmet dish by fresh cream, added cold to lower the serving temperature: such simplicity will amaze you! And the name? It would be an homage to the soups cooked by the chef’s mother when they lived near the French city of Vichy.

In the recipe, I took the liberty of significantly reducing the amount of butter, limiting it to a knob along with a drizzle of oil to sweat the leeks, while the cream is definitely the irreplaceable ingredient in the recipe.

A great, naturally gluten-free classic to be eaten with a little caution for blood sugar, which will be stressed both in the short term, due to the presence of potatoes, and in the long term (after 3-4 hours) due to the presence of cream. And if you are looking for another idea for summer, try my Gazpacho of yellow tomatoes, peppers and crispy prosciutto.

Vichyssoise summer soup

6.3g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients

  • 1 litre vegetable stock*
  • 500g leek
  • 400g potatoes
  • 125g fresh cream
  • 1 knob of butter
  • chives or other herbs to taste
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (in Italy they may be listed on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation of the Vichyssoise summer soup

  1. Wash the leeks thoroughly and cut them into small pieces. Put a knob of butter and a trickle of oil in a pan and sweat the leeks, making sure not to brown them: the colour must remain the same!
  2. When the leeks are soft, add the diced potatoes, let them season for 1 minute, then cover with the hot stock and cook.
  3. When the vegetables are cooked, blend everything together: you can leave some of the soup in pieces or make a velouté. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the cold fresh cream, stir and serve with a pinch of chives or other herbs you like. Remember that the Vichyssoise can be served warm, lukewarm or cold.

vichyssoise

Version with gluten of Vichyssoise summer soup

This recipe contains only naturally gluten-free ingredients, so no adaptations are necessary.

 

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Cold recipes for hot summers: Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons

Since the heat does not leave us this summer, I am constantly looking for cold recipes that can satisfy the palate, be healthy and above all be pleasantly refreshing, which is why I propose the Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons, this time paired with a fantastic wine!

In fact, a dear friend who knows my passion for wines gave me a bottle of Viognier Linea Ars Magna by Omina Romana vintage 2017, for which I wanted to create an ad hoc recipe. So here is my pairing because its intense and complex bouquet of aromatic herbs goes perfectly with the sweet scent of peppers, enlivened by the savouriness of anchovies and slivers of 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano cheese that masterfully reflect the mineral note that the wine draws from the volcanic soils where the vines grow.

The recipe is rich in fibre thanks to the peppers and lentils, it is also an excellent source of vitamins, the anchovies provide us with Omega 3, and the 36-month Parmesan cheese not only allows us to get calcium, but also makes the recipe suitable for those who are intolerant to dairy proteins: in short, a “supplement recipe”  as my friend Alessandra Bosetti, clinical dietician at the Buzzi Hospital in Milan, would call it, just like the Venere rice towers with almond cream and tomatoes.

When staying in the city while others are on holiday, the best way to treat oneself to a few moments of pleasure and relaxation is to indulge in good food and a glass of wine of those that remain in the memory file like photos taken in summer.

Omina romanaViognier

Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons

12.74g carbohydrates per 100g of Cream of peppers and lentils without croutons

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 1kg bell peppers (2 red and 2 yellow)
  • 100g hulled lentils
  • 2 slices of gluten-free wholemeal bread**
  • 30g Parmigiano Reggiano 36 months old
  • 4 anchovy fillets in oil
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • chili
  • salt and pepper
  • edible flowers for decoration

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation of Cream of peppers and lentils

  1. Clean the peppers, cut them in half, remove the stalk, seeds and white filaments, then cut them into quarters and place in the oven under the grill at 200°C until the skin is slightly dark. Seal the peppers in a paper bag and, when cold, peel and set them aside.
  2. Boil the lentils in lightly salted water until cooked: with hulled lentils it will take about 15 minutes. Drain and leave them to cool.
  3. Place a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, melt the anchovies drained from oil and when melted, add the diced wholemeal bread and toast it well on all sides.
  4. Now prepare the cream by putting the peeled peppers and lentils in a blender and when you have obtained a smooth and even cream, add salt, pepper and chilli.
  5. Divide the cold cream into 4 bowls, sprinkle the surface with Parmesan shavings and the anchovy croutons, then top with edible flowers.

crema di peperoni e lenticchie

Version with gluten of Cream of peppers and lentils with anchovy croutons

For the gluten-free version of the recipe, replace the gluten-free wholemeal bread with standard bread.

 

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