As many of you know, we grow in our garden most of what we use in our kitchen when cooking. Veggies, herbs, spices, etc.. When we can’t we buy the healthiest products we can on the market, from local farm stores or barter with others who share our same philosophies about quality of the foods we put into our bodies how their grown or raised. When I share a recipe with you, unless I will specify when using other acquired sources. For example, instead of a homemade spice blend, I will say, we used McCormicks. If use another brand, it is because I have researched the product, the processing and the ingredients used. I do not expect you to follow my lead. It’s just what WE do.
I had too much fun last night creating a recipe for, what was supposed to be a simple potato soup. I had several kinds of potatoes that needed to be used, an onion and some garlic so naturally my mind went to potato soup. It started out innocently enough but then I began creating a not so simple dish. If you know potato soup recipes, they are pretty straight forward so I started with the basics.
In our potato basket we had a couple of LARGE Sweet Potatoes, some Russets, Red Potatoes and a few Yukon Golds. There was also a big sweet onion and a couple of garlic bulbs so I knew I had the basic ingredients needed for the soup. I started chopping up the potatoes, onion and OH! why not throw in a carrot and celery? With all of this garden produce chopped, I realized that I was going to need A LOT of chicken bone broth, which we always have on hand, either homemade or Pacific Foods . For this recipe I used 96 ounces of Pacific Foods bone broth as our homemade was frozen. I usually plan out what I want to make for dinner so I can make sure everything is thawed, picked, washed and ready to use. This was a spur of the moment decision so store bought bone broth it was.
I enlisted the help of my Sous Chef, my husband, Mike to help me with my creation. He is a REALLY fine cook in his own right and I love that he is more than will to help me in the kitchen. We have such fun cooking together! I remembered we had a pound of uncured bacon in the fridge so Mike cut it all up and cooked it to bacon bit crisp at the same time he took a large garlic bulb, peeled it and minced it for me. He knows that garlic needs to sit for 10 minutes prior to using so that all it’s magic powers start working and flavor is at its peak, so he gets it done first!
I sautéed the garlic and onion in Ghee. Honestly, when I make this recipe again, I will use olive oil instead. Another alternative would be to whip some Earth Balance and then sauté the garlic and onion in that. Ghee was just a bit stronger of a taste than I was after. IT WASN’T HORRIBLE by any means. Just a bit stronger than I would have liked. Anyway! Once the onion was translucent (takes 3-5 minutes,) I added in all the veggies, plus the chicken stock, brought this to a boil, then turned the heat down and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. During the simmering time, I grabbed some of our dehydrated mushrooms and threw those into the mix. About a half cup or a handful. . . who measures?! I thought it was a good way to sneak in a little extra power punch. Only the Sous Chef knew of my secret ingredient!. . .hee, hee, hee. . .
Once the veggies were soft, I turned off the stove and used my favorite kitchen tool, the Immersion Blender and blended everything together until it was creamy. One can also use a blender to do this same step. The soup is super hot so be careful! Once the soup was blended, I turned back on the burner to low and started adding spices. Salt, Pepper, Cajun Seasoning, Paprika and a little bacon grease with a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch mixed in. The cornstarch is a thickener even though the soup itself was already a little thick, it helped bring it to the consistency that I wanted for this recipe. Yep, this soup definitely has a kick to it.
First of all, the spices are optional - aside from the salt and pepper. Those two are necessary! Potatoes absorb salt so go ahead and use it. In my household it’s really for the benefit of others as I don’t use that much. In fact most of the time I don’t use it at all and suggest to others if they want to use it, they can do so once they’ve dished up.
Second and getting us back on track, once the spices were cooked in and the taste was balanced, I added in 2 1/2 cups of (whisk) whipped unsweetened Coconut Milk, full fat. I use Thai brand. I then used the Immersion blender once again to cream it all together. I added the bacon crisps, one pound worth, minus a few pieces the dogs enjoyed and served it in bowls garnished with parsley. The finished product is less a soup and more a bisque. We were all okay with that! I’m thinking we should add shrimp to it for tonight’s dinner!
A few note: 1 pound of uncured bacon, was voted by the fam to not be enough. They suggest 2 pounds. For the amount we made, I agree. The soup can be frozen in airtight containers or quart jars. Use within 3 months. You can also use your own brand of products. I use these because we cook food that are celiac friendly and as organic as possible. BELOW is the recipe.
Potato Soup/Bisque -Robin Miller 2022
Ingredients you will need:
2 Large Sweet Potatoes, 4 Russet Potatoes, 4 Large Red Potatoes, 4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes chopped into 1 inch cubes - set them aside.
1 Large Carrot chopped into small cubes plus 1 large stock of celery or two small and leaves, chopped into thin slices.
1 Large Sweet Onion and 1 whole bulb of Garlic
1-2 pounds of Uncured Bacon, chopped and cooked to a crisp - making bacon bits
2 - 2 1/2 cups Full Fat Unsweetened Coconut Milk - you will use a little less than two cans or use it all but whisk it before using so it’s blended and creamy. It will NOT be blended when you open the cans. Nobody told me this when I started using it eons ago so I’m sharing the info with you!
Salt and Black Pepper - to your taste but do NOT start tasting until you add spices. Potatoes absorb salt so you won’t be able to tell how much you need if you add while cooking down the veggies.
McCormicks Cajun seasoning - we usually make our own but ran out so this is the next best thing for celiac humans. We used about 3 Tablespoons but again, it’s for YOUR taste buds add what you want.
Paprika - make your own or store bought, again McCormicks is or go to when we run out of homegrown/made.
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch - if needed to thicken
Parsley and green onions, chopped for garnish.
PROCESS: One 8 quart soup pot
Cook Bacon and set aside to drain on a clean towel or paper towels
Sauté Garlic and Onions until the Onions are translucent
Add in all the veggies and chicken bone broth bringing it all to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until veggies are soft. While it is simmering, throw in a handful of mushrooms either dehydrated or fresh. If the fam hates mushrooms, hide them under all the other veggies while it cooks!
Once veggies are soft, turn off the heat, use either your Immersion blending tool or a blender to cream all the veggies. Add more chicken bone broth at this time if you think the soup is too thick for you and skip the cornstarch.
Return to heat and start adding the spices for your taste - it’s your soup and you are in charge of it’s final taste. You can also choose to use different spices than we did. If you want it savory use herbs like rosemary, thyme, etc. PLAY AND HAVE FUN!
Once you’ve seasoned to your perfection, turn back off the heat and add in the Coconut Milk and blend once again to cream further. Your soup is now ready to be served. Garnish with more Bacon, Chives and or Parsley. ENJOY!
