The Freshest Vegetable Creams

We still have a hot season left and although we don’t feel like cooking much, we have to eat well. In other articles I have given you ideas to make pasta salads, cold soups, popsicles and other cool summer meals. This time we will try cold creams.

If gazpacho is the best known cold soup, vichyssoise is the cold cream par excellence. It is made with potato, leek and onion that are poached, boiled, crushed and left to cool. It is an excellent cream to eat both hot and cold, although fresh is appreciated for its smooth flavor and silky texture.

We can make cold creams in the same way as vichyssoise. Use creamy ingredients that are good when cold too and that provide a creamy texture, such as potato, zucchini, leek or carrot. You can also add spices and herbs, vegetable drinks and even legumes.

Remember that many vegetable patés are made with cooked, drained and cooled legumes, and that is what gives them such a pleasant texture.

Cold creams can serve us very well as an accompaniment to other dishes to eat fresh without going hot and the best thing is that we can make a lot of it in a short time and keep them refrigerated for several days.

1. Cold carrot and coconut cream

Ingredients

• 6 carrots
• 1 piece of ginger
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can of coconut milk

Preparation

1. Peel the carrots and cut them into medium slices.
2. Heat the oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat.
3. Lightly brown the cumin.
4. Grate the ginger and add it.
5. Stir well.
6. Add the carrots and mix well.
7. Add enough water to cover everything, cover and put on high heat.
8. When it begins to boil, leave it half covered over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender.
9. Drain it and put it in the blender along with the coconut milk and whisk it all together. Taste it and add salt to taste.
10. Let cool before serving.

You can top it with a few pieces of dried tomatoes and some toasted almonds.

2. Cold cream of zucchini

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini
• ½ medium leek
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 handful of raw cashews

Preparation

1. Peel the zucchini and cut it into small cubes. Finely chop the leek.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and brown the cashews for a minute.
3. Add the leek and mash until tender.
4. Add the zucchini and lightly brown it all together for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add enough water to cover it and put it on high heat.
6. When it starts to boil, lower the heat and cook it until the zucchini is very tender.
7. Put it in the blender and beat it. Add salt to taste.
8. Let cool before serving.

You can top it with debittered brewer’s yeast, which is very good.

3. Cold cream of aubergines and apple

Ingredients

• 2 large purple aubergines
• 1 Golden apple or pippin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons white tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Peel the aubergines and put them in a large bowl with water and salt for at least 30 minutes. Then wash and drain well.
2. Cut the garlic into slices and brown it in the olive oil for a minute.
3. Add the aubergines and mix.
4. Peel the apple, cut it into small pieces and add it to the saucepan.
5. Add water to cover and cook over medium heat until the eggplant is very tender.
6. Drain it and put it in the blender along with the rest of the ingredients and a little salt.
7. Beat it very well so that no pieces remain, taste it and correct the salt.
8. Let cool before serving.

Serve alongside whole wheat croutons and sesame seeds.

4. Cold cream of lentils and tomatoes

Ingredients

• 6 ripe pear or vine tomatoes
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup brown lentils (cooked, drained and cold)
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and put them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Beat everything together 2-3 minutes, until a smooth cream without chunks is left.
3. Taste it and rectify the salt. You can add some ice if you want.

Try serving this cream with bagels, whole wheat breadsticks or crunchy garlic breads.