Ham and Potato Soup

I. Love. Soup.

It's true. I have a very deep addiction for soup and salad. Oh, and chips and salsa, but that's an entirely different subject. Crazy things to always crave and want; or so, that's what my husband thinks. I think it's perfectly normal. I must admit it has gotten so bad, though, that my husband has made limits and rules to how often or what types of soups I can make when. Once upon a time, we ate nothing but soup for dinner for 2 weeks. True story. Hence my limitations and rules. Don't blame him. It's good to have an abundance of variation-- but varying the type of soup versus eating a completely different meal item is apparently very different. :-)

Last night, even though our warm Texas weather is already beginning, I went against our rule of "no soup when the temperature is above 70 degrees" because I had a ridiculously large amount of ham that I couldn't figure out what else to do with. My husband grew up on a potato farm in Idaho and we have a very large soft spot for potato soup. Usually we have the "go to" recipe that we alway use, but I found something so much better that I have eaten 3 bowls since last night-- sadly, yet another true story. I ate it for brunch.  This recipe is so quick and easy to make and you can vary it with whatever you want-- adding or taking away veggies/meats! I love it!!

Ham and Potato Soup

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 C diced celery
1/3 C finely chopped onion
3/4 C diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 T chicken bouillon granules
1/2 C carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste
5 T butter
5 T flour
2 C milk

Combine all vegetables and ham with water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Stir in chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until thick (1 minute)-- making a rue. Slowly stir in milk so as not to cause any lumps. Continue stirring until thick (4-5 minutes). Add rue to stockpot and heat soup through.

Also, if you have never seen one of these before-- you are missing out. Seriously.

This little beauty was given to us for our wedding from my beautiful grandmother. When I opened it, I thought, "When will I ever use this? She could've spent her money on something a little more useful." And then, as a floundering new wife learning to cook, I gave it a go about a year later and it is now the most used item in my kitchen. It has lasted a good 5 years cutting zucchini, onions, potatoes, carrots, fruits, cucumbers, anything I can think of! It is amazing and everything is perfectly shaped in little squares when I'm done, I don't have to cry over cutting onions, and my mascara stays perfect. We're all happy. Here's a link to get it! HERE

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Since asparagus is on sale I thought I'd try this recipe from myrecipes.com.  I think it was actually in the Cooking Light magazine at one point.  And it was light so we had it with salad and bread and then it was perfect.  Kaden loved it too.

3 c (1/2-in) sliced asparagus (about 1 lb)
2 c fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
3/4 tsp fresh thyme, divided
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp flour (I used wheat and it was just fine)
2 c 1% milk (I used rice milk and thought it was just fine)
dash of ground nutmeg
2 tsp butter
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated lemon rind

Combine asparagus, broth, 1/2 tsp thyme, bay leaf, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.  *I would simmer a little longer next time because I think I'd like the asparagus a bit more tender*  Discard bay leaf.  Place asparagus mixture in a blender; process until smooth.

Place flour in pan.  Gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Add pureed asparagus and ground nutmeg; stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 tsp thyme, butter, salt, and lemon rind.  Makes 4 1-cup servings.

Here's the link to the recipe, and I got the picture from the website:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cream-of-asparagus-soup-10000000230698/

Caldo Verde

This is a Portuguese soup that is the only food that my husband still likes from his mission. My kids like it too. It sounds weird, but it is good, I promise. The only thing is, that it has a lot of onions and garlic. So you can't eat it alone - everyone has got to partake. Otherwise you will be the only one with stinky breath. 

This particular version came from Williams Sonoma. It is similar to the authentic versions. The only recommendation I have is that you score the potatoes before you thinly slice them. That way you don't get long stringy potato skins in your soup (so I ignore the recommendation to peel the potatoes). Ok, two recommendations: you have to chop the kale very finely. Like I am talking confetti style. So I slice it thinly and then I chop up the slices. This is so that it will cook quickly but also the texture is better for eating (again no long stringy things in your mouth).

Oh, for the sausage, I get smoked turkey or kielbasa. I also skip the mashing of the potato step. It dirties more dishes and the potatoes eventually fall apart any way if you slice them thin and cook them long enough.
 
CaldoVerde

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. chorizo, linguiça or kielbasa sausages
3/4 lb. kale or collard greens
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
3 or 4 potatoes, 1 to 1 1/4 lb. total, peeled and
  thinly sliced
3 or 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 to 7 cups water or chicken stock
2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil for serving

Directions:
Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Prick the sausages with a fork and add to the boiling water. Boil for about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the sausages to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, slice them. (You may discard the sausage-flavored water or reserve it for making the soup.)

Rinse and drain the greens, then remove any tough stems. Working in batches, stack the leaves, roll up the stack like a cigar, and cut crosswise into very, very thin strips. Set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the potatoes and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the water and 2 tsp. salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Scoop out about 2 cups of the potatoes and mash well with a potato masher or fork. Return them to the pan, add the sliced sausages and simmer until the sausages are cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add the greens, stir well and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook; the greens should be bright green and slightly crunchy. Season with salt and pepper.



 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've been on a major soup fetish lately, so please forgive me! We made this the other night and it was really good, but be sure to serve it with something else. I found the flavor awesome, but then it never changed. I guess I'm the type of person that needs texture, and other random things to keep me coming back for more. Who knew cooking would help you know who you are?? Let me know what you add to this or serve with it! My kiddos ate about half of theirs and then wanted something different-- take after momma, apparently!

1 C. milk

1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 C fresh or frozen broccoli or cauliflower florets, steamed

1 tsp diced onion

1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube

A healthy way to thicken soup and add more proteins is to add 1/4 cup canned and drained cannellini (white kidney beans) beans at beginning. 

Place all ingredients into the blender container in the order listed and secure lid. Blend until smooth.

Adapted from Vitamix. Photo credit: Vitamix