Recipe: Cold potato-leek soup (vichyssoise)

Dietitian's tip: With their mild, sweet, onion flavor, leeks make a wonderful addition to this cold soup. Because they're grown in sandy soil, leeks tend to trap grit between their multilayered leaves and must be washed thoroughly before cooking.

SERVES 6

Ingredients

4 leeks
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 medium potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
4 cups unsalted chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon mace
2 cups evaporated skim milk, chilled
6 tablespoons chopped chives
Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a blender or food processor, blend the leeks and onion until finely chopped.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped leeks and onion and saute until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken broth and mace. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender.

Pour the mixture into the blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate.

Before serving stir in the evaporated milk. Ladle into individual bowls. Top each with 1 tablespoon chives and pepper to taste. Serve cold.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)

Serving size: About 1 cup
Calories	238	Cholesterol	7 mg
Protein	12 g	Sodium	210 mg
Carbohydrate	39 g	Fiber	3 g
Total fat	4 g	Potassium	979 mg
Saturated fat	1 g	Calcium	306 mg
Monounsaturated fat	2 g