I know, it’s been a damp, raining, chilly spring, and the rapture didn’t happen, and you’re all bummed out. But, guess what, pretty soon the hazy, lazy days of summer will be upon us. And what better way to celebrate summer (besides hot dogs and baseball) than with cold soup? That’s right, “cold soup,” as in that classic dish, vichyssoise (pronounced “Vihsh-ee-SWAHZ”).  Also, an added note,the fabled vichyssoise is an American dish. Not French. It’s a creamy potato-leek soup that’s served cold; and its creator was Chef Louis Diat of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City. Chef Diat conjured up the dish in 1917.

Still, we must give the French credit since the soup most likely evolved from the leek and potato soup very popular to France, potage bonne teme. In his tome, Cooking a la Ritz, Diat himself states that the name of the soup comes from Vichy, the French town near his childhood home. He calls it Cream Vichyssoise Glacee. Vichyssoise has entered the lexicon along with such nuggets as chicken tetrazzini, egg foo young, and English muffin (another American novelty). Vichyssoise is also very easy to prepare with a blender or food processor. If you desire, you can use scallions instead of leeks. In my version, I like to add cayenne pepper to it instead of ground black pepper. Either way, you can’t go wrong with Mr. Diat’s creation.

CREAM VICHYSSOISE GLACEE

2 leeks, white part, finely sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons sweet butter
2 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup chicken broth or stock

1 cup milk1 cup light cream
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
Finely chopped chives (optional)

1. In a saucepan, gently saute the leeks and onion in butter until soft, about 8 minutes. Do NOT let them brown.
2. Add potatoes, chicken broth or stock, milk, light cream, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, and then simmer on low heat for 30-35 minutes.
3. Puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Let cool, and stir in the heavy cream. Chill thoroughly before serving. If you prefer, you can add finely chopped chives before serving.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

Summertime and the livin’ is easy. The same with dining; and cold soups are a welcomed relief from the dog days of summer. Forget about hot, sturdy stews. Those are for midwinter. We want cool relief. And cool soups, weather at room temperature or chilled, have been with us since soups were invented. The most renowned of these, of course, is Vichyssoise (pronounced “vihsh-ee-SWAHZ” or “vee-she-swahz”). It’s a rich creamy potato-leek soup that is served cold. And, no, it ain’t French. It’s AMERICAN! Its creator was Chef Louis Diat of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City, and he conjured it up in 1917.

But the king of cold soups, in my humble opinion, is that Spanish classic, gazpacho. Gazpacho has Moorish origins. In 711 the Muslims of Northern Africa, known as the Moors because of their mixed Berber and Arab lineage, invaded Spain. It wasn’t until 1492 (date sound familiar?) that the last of the Moors were expelled from Spain. But they left a lasting influence, especially in their cuisine. Gazpacho evolved from an Arabic dish. The word itself derives from the Arabic word for soaked bread. And the initial recipe called for soaked bread, olive oil and garlic. The Spaniards referred to this as ajo blanco, or a garlic soup. When tomatoes and peppers were brought back to Spain from the Americas, these were added to the soup, so that today we have the famous tomato-based gazpacho that originated in Andalucia in Southern Spain. In Malaga, a province in the region of Andalucia, they boast of their Malaga-style gazpacho which includes crushed peeled almonds and red wine vinegar.

The recipe included is the traditional Moorish type gazpacho and it comes from my cookbook, The Pharaoh’s Feast, which is a history of cooking through the ages from day one to the present. For those of you who have been brought up on the tomato-base gazpacho, give this one a try. Its simplicity and natural flavors are a revelation.

GAZPACHO CON AJO BLANCO

1 cup untrimmed fresh bread, cubed

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

Cold water

1. Soak the bread in water. Drain and squeeze to extract excess moisture.

3. In a wooden bowl, mix the garlic, bread, and salt, and stir in the olive oil.

Yield: 4 servings.

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