La Vâche Qui Rit Soup

Yes, soup made with those little triangles of mooshy cheese with the red laughing cow on it. That silly French cheese that’s been around since 1921? I’ve loved it for years. Whenever I buy it, which isn’t often, I love to spread it on toast like a cream cheese.

While prowling the interwebs for my French onion soup recipe, I came across this one on the Food Network’s site. Lovely Laura Calder, aka Tits Magee, host of “French Food at Home” called this a favourite of enfants de la France. Who I am I to say she’s wrong?

When was I in France last? 2009. Fuck, really? It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. Puss and I were wreaking havoc on four European countries and on our first afternoon in Paris we wandered upon a fantastic little brasserie/bistro that had a courgette soup. I was perplexed. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of courgette/zucchini but ordered this soup on a whim.

Amazing. It had this velvety texture to it, this delicate courgette taste that I had never experienced before. Coming from an old country background with Greek godparents that owned a restaurant (of course they did), the only zucchini I had ever tasted was soggy sticks that were really only a carrier for dipping sauce or a layer in a moussaka. I hated it. All of it. Zucchini was my enemy. Well, one of them. That’s right mushrooms and olives, I’m glaring at you fuckos.

I’m so glad that I was as open-minded and adventurous with my palate that day because that soup changed by life. I don’t hate zucchini anymore. Now I just hate poorly crafted/cooked/made zucchini. Thst experience made me look at the below recipe and not cringe, but get really excited.

La Vâche qui rit Soup

1 onion, finely sliced

2 lbs zucchini, chopped

2 c water or vegetable stock

salt and pepper, to taste

pinch cumin

4 triangles of Vâche Qui Rit

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté onions. Add zucchini, salt, pepper and cumin. Add stock, note: will not cover the vegetables.

Cover and cook until soft, about 30 minutes. While waiting, make a charcuterie plate and enjoy. Below is bread, fresh mozzarella slices drizzled with oil, salt, pepper and cayenne, brie, garlic coil, prosciutto and spicy sopressata.

When it’s done it will look like poo. Very unhealthy poo.

Add cheese and purée in either a blender or with an immersion blender.

This batch makes 4 servings at 188 calories, 2.3g of saturated fat and 4g of dietary fibre. I have a feeling that vâchie vâchie soup is going to be afuckingmazing for lunches with that beer bread I made earlier this week and froze in portioned slices. You might say that I was on a soup mission in the last couple of days. Weekend soup win!