Vichyssoise

Now that I've had my fun, this is probably the last time I'll use my pressure cooker for a while. I wanted to try it out on a third great ingredient though - potatoes - for this classic vichyssoise. I made a Radish Vichyssoise a couple weeks back, but this version adheres closer to the original French version, relying on onions and potatoes.

Melt a teaspoon and a half of vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium heat. Add 4 cups thinly sliced Vidalia onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 4 and 1/2 cups peeled baking potato, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, along with 2 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth.

Securely close the lid of the pressure cooker and bring to high pressure over high heat (check your manufacturer's instructions for how you'll know high pressure has been reached). Reduce the heat to medium, maintaining high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes.

To quickly release the pressure, run the lid under cold water, then carefully remove the lid.

Let the soup cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a blender; process until smooth.

Transfer the soup to a large bowl and stir in 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. ground white pepper (I had fun grinding down my white peppercorns with my mortar and pestle), and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg. Stir in 1/2 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk) and 1/2 cup vegan sour cream (such as Tofutti's Better Than Sour Cream).

Cover and chill - the recipe didn't specify for how long, but I let mine chill all afternoon before serving it in the evening.

Just before serving, stir in 1/4 cup minced fresh chives.

Ladle 1 and 1/2 cups of soup into each of 4 bowls for 4 servings of 200 calories.

Cost:
Vidalia onion $1.59
baking potato $2.95
vegetable broth $2.69