Chilled leek and avocado soup
We were invited out for dinner last night so only had lunch to cater for. We had an avocado just at the peak of ripeness and not wanting to risk it going past its best looked for something to do with it and came upon this recipe. Chilled soup sounded just right for a light, early summer lunch and it would have been perfect if we had had early summer weather to go with it but it was a chilly 15C yesterday and lashing down with rain. But we are British and with stiff upper lip and all that we carried on undeterred. And just to show who is boss we had melon and Bayonne ham to follow – hah, take that lousy weather!
John added his own little touch to the recipe with a garnish of coriander cream. To reduce the GI we also used a small tin of haricot blanc instead of the potato.
Soup recipe by Gordon Ramsay.
serves 4
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250g leeks, white part only, washed and finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
- splash of dry white wine
- 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped (or beans, see note)
- bouquet garni (thyme sprig, bay leaf and parsley stalks tied together)
- 750ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 large ripe avocado
- juice of 1/2 lemon or to taste
- 50ml thick cream or creme fraiche
- large tbsp of cream cheese
- 1/2 clove of garlic
- small handful of coriander
- salt and pepper
- lime juice
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the leeks, onion and some seasoning. Stir, then cover and let the vegetables sweat over a low heat for 5 minutes until softened.
Turn up the heat slightly and add a slash of wine and let it bubble down to a syrupy glaze. Stir in the potato (or beans) and bouquet garni and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until the potato is soft. Discard the bouquet garni.
Halve the avocado, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh into the pan. Using a hand blender blizt to a smooth puree or transfer to a blender or processor and blend until smooth. For a really super silky smooth soup pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and some lemon juice. Let cool then chill for a few hours or overnight. Serve with a swirl of coriander cream.
For the coriander cream; put the first 4 ingredients into the jug of a hand blender and blitz until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
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