Vegiessoise

A healthy, cream-free, vegetarian variation on vichyssoise. For vegans, substitute olive oil for the butter.

• 3 large leeks, white part only
• 3 oz. butter
• 1 onion
• 4 white new potatoes
• 40 oz. vegetable broth
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• Salt and white pepper

Wash the leeks and slice them fairly small, then cut up the onion. Scrub the potatoes and slice them thinly.

Heat the butter in a large stockpot or pressure cooker. Add the leeks and onions; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, broth and water. If you're not using a pressure cooker, bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.

If you are using a pressure cooker, put the lid on and bring it up to the cooking point. Cook for 3 minutes, then cool it beneath cold running water, let the pressure drop, and open it up.

Let the mixture cool for at least a half hour while you peel, seed, and dice the cucumber. Add salt and fresh white pepper, then run the soup and cucumber through the blender for half a minute or so.

Put it in the fridge to chill. Serve when cold garnished with chopped chives, if you want.