Uncle Bills Vichyssoise Soup Recipes

CLASSIC VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot melt butter over low heat. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and stir well. Cover pot and continue to cook for 12 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered for 30 minutes.
• Puree soup in blender or food processor and cool.
• Prior to serving add cream. If you are serving this soup warm you need to reheat the soup slowly so that the cream does not change consistency.

VICHYSSOISE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat. In a second stockpot over low heat, warm the chicken stock. Meanwhile, slice the white parts of the leeks in half lengthwise; then thinly slice. Trim and thinly slice celery. Add leeks and celery to the melted butter; gently sweat until translucent, 7-8 minutes, adding a pinch of salt halfway through. Make sure the vegetables do not take on any color.Meanwhile, slice potatoes lengthwise into 4 wedges, then roughly dice into 1-inch chunks. When the leeks and celery are translucent, add warmed stock, followed by the potatoes.
• Make a sachet: Lay a square of cheesecloth large enough to fit the herbs on a flat surface. Place thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and garlic in the middle; then wrap into a bundle and tie with butcher's twine. Submerge the sachet in the soup and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are soft, 15-20 minutes.
• When a fork easily pierces a potato, the soup is ready to be blended. First, remove the sachet. Then use a ladle to remove 1½ cups of broth; set aside. Carefully add the rest of the soup to a blender and cover. Blend, beginning on low speed, then slowly increasing to high speed. When the soup is pale and completely puréed, turn off the blender and add crème fraîche. Cover and continue blending on high speed to a light, smooth texture. Test the thickness, then add some of the reserved broth as necessary to thin the soup, and blend again. Set aside the remaining broth.
• Strain the soup (optional): In a large bowl filled with ice, chill a second bowl large enough to hold the soup. Strain the soup through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer into the chilled bowl; use the back of a ladle to help push the soup through the strainer. The vichyssoise will have a syrupy texture when it's warm, but it will become thicker and more velvety as it chills in the bowl. Let cool for 1 hour.
• When the vichyssoise is chilled, strain more reserved broth into the soup as needed to thin to desired consistency; stir well to combine. Ladle into a bowl. Shape quenelles of crème fraîche (optional): Pass about a tablespoon of crème fraîche back and forth between two spoons, smoothing and shaping it until you have formed an egg-shaped dollop, or "quenelle." Garnish each bowl with a quenelle of crème fraîche and several chive batons before serving.

UNCLE BILL'S SPECIAL CREAMY POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or a medium cooking pot, add potatoes, cover with water; bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. The potatoes will not be fully cooked and that is fine.
• Drain and transfer to a large cooking pot.
• In a large frying pan, on medium-high heat, melt 1/4 cup of butter.
• Add sliced onions, stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add flour and stir well to coat onions.
• Add leeks, celery and garlic and fry for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Transfer the onion-leek mixture to the large cooking pot.
• Add chicken broth, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add the milk, whipping cream, salt, pepper, thyme, and celery seeds.
• Bring the soup to boil, reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches until smooth and return to the cooking pot. You may also use an immersion blender.
• Add grated cheese and bring to just boil or until cheese melts.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Serve soup hot.
• Refrigerate any unused portion ot the soup.

UNCLE BILL'S CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large heavy bottom cooking pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
• Add onions, leeks, carrots celery and garlic and cook, stirring for about 3 minutes or until vegetables are slightly softened but not browned.
• Add chicken broth, water, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary.
• Bring to boil.
• Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add to soup along with the diced mushrooms.
• Add noodles and bring soup to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove bay leaf and discard.
• Stir in parsley, salt and pepper.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Serve soup hot.
• Refrigerate any unused portions.
• NOTE: Homemade Chicken or Turkey Stock is so much better than purchased broth.

UNCLE BILL'S LIGHT VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large cooking pot, add broth, water and chicken soup base and bring to boil.
• In the meantime, in a frying pan on medium-high heat, melt butter, add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent.
• Add tomatoes and cook until reduced and sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes; set aside.
• To the cooking pot, add carrots, potatoes, garlic, white pepper, salt, chili powder, hot red pepper flakes, dried dill weed and pasta and cook until pasta is el dente, about 10 minutes.
• Add onion/tomato sauce, celery and tiny peas and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Serve soup hot.
• Refrigerate any unused portions.
• You can use all water instead of chicken broth or vegetable broth. Use 1 vegetable bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon of chicken soup base for each 2 cups of water.
• You can also use a small penne pasta of your choice, or pearl barley, macaroni or basmati rice instead of small shell pasta.