Potato Soup on a Cold Day

A dusting of white snow shocked me this morning as I approached my baby tomato seeds. Each morning I check on their progress. I bet today, the warm-and-toasty seedlings appreciated the added warmth from the Christmas Tree Lights. Last night, Old Man Winter blew through the Atlanta area leaving a scattering of snow.

Merciful heavens, doesn’t Mr. Winter know we don’t “do” snow here in the ATL?

So today, with the wind gusts whipping the pines, I opted to cook up a bowl of hearty potato soup. Potato soup is a quick and satisfying meal. Seasoned with ham scraps I keep frozen, curling your hands around a bowl of this scrumptious dish is satisfying.

Ingredients:

Three large potatoes (baking potatoes will do)

2 Tablespoons plain flour

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

Pieces of ham (chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste

Shredded cheddar cheese

Chop potatoes into bite size pieces. Don’t forget to add a dash of salt.

The Process:

Peel potatoes then chop them into bite size pieces. Cook in saucepan with approximately one quart of water (or enough to cover the potatoes). Add 1 teaspoon of salt during this process. Boil potatoes until you can stick them with a fork. Taste for doneness.

While potatoes are cooking, melt butter in a cast-iron skillet. Add flour and stir well then add one cup of milk and stir well.

Image of rue. Add this to the potatoes after they are completely cooked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incorporating this “rue” makes a thick, rich soup.

If necessary, drain the potatoes and then add the rue and one cup of additional milk.

Stir gently to prevent sticking.

Chop ham and add to soup.

Note: to maintain the texture of the ham, add it at the end of the cooking process.

Save tiny pieces of your Christmas or Easter ham. Use them to season soup and beans. Yum !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garnish with cheese and enjoy.

Potato soup. The perfect one-dish meal for those unexpected snow days.

Renea Winchester is the award-winning author of In the Garden with Billy: Lessons About Life, Love & Tomatoes. In 2012 she released Stress-Free Marketing: Practical Advice for the Newly Published Author. 2014 will see the release of In the Kitchen with Billy: Farming, Friends & Fried Bologna Sandwiches. She is currently working on her first novel. She would love to hear from you. Visit her at www.reneawinchester.com

 

Comfort Food on a Chilly Spring Day

Once again, temperatures have dipped to unseasonable lows, forcing us to crank up the heat, unpack the sweaters, and seek comfort in our favorite food. For me, a steamy pot of pinto beans is perfect.

Soon, we will experience a “field to fork” dinner of fresh beans. Until then, preparing a delicious pot of “soup beans” is easy and does not take all day.

First, rinse beans and leave them in a bowl of water for approximately ten minutes while you gather the cookware and containers for extra water. I like to keep a quart of water beside the pot. That way, each time I pass through the kitchen I add more water.

Beans, as you know, have a tendency to boil dry speedy quick.

Bring two quarts of water to a boil add 2 cups of beans and allow them to come to a rolling boil. Stir well. Reduce heat. Cover and allow to simmer.

After simmering for one hour, increase heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, a hefty shake of pepper and more water. Return to a boil (this will take only a moment). Cover and reduce heat. When beans reach the desired consistency it is time to prepare the seasoning.

Instead of adding fat back or a ham hock at the beginning of the process, cook four pieces of bacon until crunchy. Drain on a paper towel. Chop one small onion and (here’s the BIG secret) two entire stalks of garlic; not the bulb, the entire garlic from the bulb to the green tip.

In a cast-iron skillet, add a nickel-sized drop of olive oil, the onion and garlic. For those who like spicy beans you could add a Jalapeno pepper at this stage.

Cook for two minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Crumble Bacon into the mixture. Stir this into beans and allow to simmer until ready to serve.

Dear Ones, trust me when I say that these beans are so good you’ll be repeating a phrase my grandpa used to say, “this is so good my tongue is about to slap my brains out!”

*Note: Dried beans can be prepared in a Crock Pot. Boil the water in a different container, pour into the Crock Pot, add beans and cook on high.

Keep gardening, and cooking.

Renea Winchester is an award-winning author of, In the Garden with Billy: Lessons about Life, Love & Tomatoes. She frequently speaks to book clubs and gardening clubs about how gardening builds communities.She is currently working on, In the Kitchen with Billy.  Her books are traditionally published and available through independent publishers as well as online distributors. Visit her at www.reneawinchester.com