Since my first time in Spain, I have been intrigued by chilled soups. It was the gazpacho in Granada that showed, in the right setting at the right time, cold soup is an oxymoron of a notion but a lilt in the day's repasts. In a delicious Mexican version of chilled soup, potato and cantaloupe are combined in a vichyssoise way that suits both warm weather dining and a svelte crowd.
Makes 6 servings
| 3 | medium-size russet potatoes (1¼ pounds), peeled and cut into 1½-inch chunks |
| 1 | jalapeño or serrano chile pepper, halved and seeded |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 4 | cups milk |
| 1 | medium-size cantaloupe, halved, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks |
| 1 | tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice |
| ¼ | cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted (see [>]), for garnish |
| 6 | sprigs fresh cilantro, for garnish |
| 1 | lime, cut into 6 thin rounds, for garnish |
Prompted by the chilled potato and melon soup I developed when writing The Vegetarian Table: Mexico, avocado, one of the supreme south-of-the-border fruits, suddenly melded in my mind with another version of chilled potato soup, the classic vichyssoise. The recipe was published there, and so tasty is the dish, I adapted it to pressure cooking for this volume.
To make 6 servings, make Potato, Leek, and Celery Soup ([>]) through Step 1, substituting a second large leek for the celery and adding 1 jalapeño chile pepper, halved. When cool enough to handle, puree, along with 3 medium-size, ripe Haas avocados, peeled and pitted. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, several hours but not overnight or the avocado will discolor. When ready to serve, stir in ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice and ½ cup sour cream. Garnish with ¼ cup chopped fresh chives and serve cold.