Wednesday is here again, already! Weren’t we just here?
And what great weather! That is, if you are a fall lover as I am. Time to break out the boots, sweaters, clean out the fire pit and make lots of delicious and hearty soups and stews. Like I did yesterday.
What do you do with leftover roasted potatoes?
Why potato soup, of course!
What? No recipe, you say? You are in luck this morning as I am here to “walk” you through SoupMaking 101.
Grab your favorite stock or soup pot and let’s get started.
Most cooking involves beginning with some sort of fat, i.e., olive oil, butter, coconut oil, etc… Or if you are a bacon lover, start with some diced bacon and let the fat render on a medium heat. Now you can either remove the bacon, leaving the fat behind and add it back in at the end, or leave the bacon and add other ingredients.
Next, add diced onions and maybe some minced garlic. Saute these in the hot fat until soft and translucent. Next, another choice, either add some flour to coat the onions – this will thicken your soup. Or omit the flour, as there are other ways to thicken when it becomes necessary. However, for my potato soup, I do add some flour here.
Now add diced potatoes and some stock. How much of each is up to you. As far as the stock, 1 quart is 32 ounces or four 8-ounce bowls of soup, so think about how much you want to make. Or in the case of my many leftover roasted potatoes, I added 4 quarts of stock. Yes, it is a lot, but once ready, I can portion the soup into containers and freeze and have soup all winter long!
Next simmer the potatoes until soft. Once soft, mix some sour cream and egg yolks together and gently stir into the soup. Either could be omitted, depending on preference.
Here is where I break out my immersion blender, a very handy tool to own. I then run the blender through the soup, breaking up the larger chunks, but leaving some for a great consistency.
Let simmer for about 15 minutes longer and voila, soup is on! Grab your favorite crusty bread and enjoy.
But wait, how is that SoupMaking 101, you ask? Soups are all basically the same base. And like all cooking you build with your flavor components. You can substitute shallots for the onions or omit them completely. Why stop at potatoes? Diced carrots and apples with a little curry powder added make a fabulous combination. Or how about that leftover broccoli or asparagus from dinner the night before? Does it have to be chicken stock? Nope! Vegetable stock works well. Does it have to contain a dairy product? Nope! Do you like it chunky or smooth?
Soup is one of the most versatile and forgiving things to make and great for not wasting leftovers, especially on these chilly nights that are moving in quickly. And, my clients will likely receive a soup every other week in the fall and winter months.
However, if you’d rather not make that soup or dinner, The Green Kitchen would love to help you out! Give us a call at 804-687-7099 or email us at cheftammy@greenkitchenrichmond.com