Avocado Vichyssoise

I just made a soup that's really good: Avocado Vichyssoise. It's a cold thick soup, perfect for sunny summer days like today. Well, it's not very hot in Seattle today, but this weekend has been absolutely beautiful. It feels like spring. Some of the flowers in my garden are in full bloom and the rest are budding. And it's the middle of February! In fact, my tulips started coming up the first week of January. I have one rose that's almost ready to open up, and that's even more interesting considering the fact that the last rose bloomed in late November.

The last time I was in Miami Beach I went to a restaurant called Wish that served an Avocado Vichyssoise which was perfect for the hot weather there. Well, since we have Seattle's version of that hot weather I might as well make food for it. I found a recipe for it on the internet and tweaked it a bit to taste like Wish's version. Here's what I tried:

• 1 white onion, julienned
• 4 garlic cloves, slivered
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups Yukon potatoes (peeled and cut into ¼ pieces)
• 1½ quarts chicken stock
• 3 avocados
• Juice of one lime
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Green, red, and orange bell peppers.
  

In a sauté pan, sweat onions and garlic in olive oil over low heat for five minutes. Add the Yukon potatoes and chicken stock. Simmer until potatoes are tender, and then puree in blender, strain and cool.

Once the soup is fully chilled, pour it into a large blender and add the avocados and limejuice. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chop a total of a teaspoon of the bell peppers into tiny ity-bity pieces (I'm not sure what the official term is) and place them in the center of your bowl after you've poured in the soup. They add a really nice fresh crunch to it.