Laurels Potato Soup Food

CREAMY SWEET POTATO AND ROSEMARY SOUP

Steps:

• In an 8-quart stockpot, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the rosemary stems. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat until ready to serve.
• Cook's Note: The soup can also be pureed by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

PERFECT POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Add the bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook until crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.
• Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the carrots, celery and onions. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with the Cajun spice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook until the potatoes are starting to get tender, about 10 minutes. Whisk together the milk and flour, then pour the mixture into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
• Remove about half of the soup and blend in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasoning, adding more of what it needs. Stir in the cream, then the parsley,
• Serve in bowls garnished with the grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces. The soup can also be frozen.

HOMEMADE POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Start by boiling potatoes until fork tender.
• When potatoes are done, strain out the water and add butter.
• When butter is melted, add flour. Stir gently to make a paste between butter and flour. The paste will coat the potatoes.
• Add Milk.
• Gently stir. Allow the pot to boil. When it reaches boil, turn down to simmer.
• Simmer on low till soup thickens.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

CHEF JOHN'S HAM AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat until golden brown. Stir in carrot, celery, onion, ham, and garlic; cook and stir for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the onions are translucent.
• Stir in flour; cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, 1 cup at a time. Add water and stir to combine. Turn the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Taste the soup for salt and add more if necessary. Stir in potatoes; cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Skim fat if desired.
• With a potato masher, mash the soup a few times, leaving plenty of whole chunks of potato. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add cayenne if desired, and add cream. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with fresh chives.

LAUREL'S POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring potatoes, celery and onion to a boil in 2 cups of broth. Cook until potatoes are tender, 15 minutes. (I nuked the diced potatoes for six minutes before putting them in the pot.) Drain and reserve liquid.
• . Saute ham in separate pan, if using. Add mushrooms after ham has started to crisp.
• Combine reserved broth and half-and-half in pot. In a bowl, combine melted butter and flour. (I melted the butter in a measuring cup and added an equal amount of flour.) Stir into half-and-half mixture over medium heat. Stir until thickened. Stir in reserved vegetables, ham & mushrooms (drain if watery), corn, remaining broth, Instant Chicken, parmesan, whipped cream cheese, and pepper. Heat through and serve.
• Don't be afraid to play around with the ingredients and add more or less to taste. The cream cheese is sweet, so the parmesan & dry mustard balance it.

POTATO AND CABBAGE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute onion in butter until tender. Add the water, cabbage, potatoes, bouillon, pepper and garlic. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in ham; heat through.

POTATO AND KALE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pan, cook onion in oil until tender.
• Mix in garlic, potatoes, and water; bring to a boil, boil 4 minutes; reduce heat and cook 20 minutes or so or until potatoes are tender.
• Mash potatoes into the liquid; mix in the kale and pepper; simmer 15 minutes more or so, till kale is done, then serve.

HEARTY SPLIT PEA SOUP (NO MEAT).

Steps:

• Saute onion in oil until soft, along with bay leaf and celery seed. Stir in peas, barley, and lima beans. Add 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Cook on low heat, partially covered, for about an hour and a half.
• Add salt, pepper, vegetables, and herbs. Turn heat down as low as possible and simmer another 30 to 45 minutes. Thin with additional water or stock as you like. Correct seasonings.
• Makes about 8 to 9 cups.

LAUREL'S SPICY SWEET AND SOUR GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• In a large pot of salted water, bring beans to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Drain.
• While beans are cooking, fry bacon in a large non-stick pan until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Cool and break into bite-sized pieces. (Alternatively, you can cut the bacon into bite sized pieces and fry them until crisp, remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.).
• Add onions to bacon grease in the pan and cook until soft. (If you feel you have too much grease, remove some first and save for another recipe. I like to leave at least 1/4 cup of grease in the pan.).
• In a bowl mix remaining ingredients and add to pan, simmering and stirring until the sauce thickens and has a nice thick syrupy consistency.
• Add beans to the pan and stir to coat the beans with sauce. Add the bacon and stir till combined. Serve.