Puree soups are thickened by blending the ingredients and are usually made with a starchy vegetable such as potato, pumpkin or kumara.
As flour is not used for thickening, they are suitable for gluten-free diets.
If you want a pale-coloured soup, leave out darker vegetables such as the darker leaves of leeks, or carrots (use these in the stock).
For four portions:
25g butter
100g onion
400g vegetables - leek and potato
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
bouquet garni
salt and pepper
chopped fresh herbs
Chop the leek and onion roughly into smallish pieces. Melt a small knob of butter or a little oil in a large saucepan. Sweat the vegetables, cooking slowly over low heat with the lid on, so they soften but do not colour. When they are soft, add the stock.
If you use vegetable stock, it will be a vegetarian soup, but you can use chicken or other stock if you like.
Add bouquet garni.
Peel and dice a potato, add to the soup and simmer until the potato is cooked. When cooked, the potato will crush easily against the side of the pot when pressed with a wooden spoon. Remove bouquet garni.
Puree the soup with a blender.
Chef Pfyl suggests using a wand blender and covering the pot with cling film to stop the soup splattering.
Cut a hole for the blender. Reheat the soup, and add cream if using.
Check seasoning and consistency - you don't want it thick like a baby puree, he says.
Add more stock or other liquid if necessary.
Ladle into warm serving bowls and garnish with chives and cream.
Vichyssoise is a cold version of this soup.
For a fancy version, garnish with a few drops of truffle oil.
Pumpkin soup can be made the same way, using pumpkin instead of potato and adding spices if desired.
Yoghurt is a nice garnish for a spicy pumpkin soup.
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