St Patricks Day Potato Soup With Pesto Food

IRISH COLCANNON SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, over medium heat, add the olive oil and onions. Cook until the onions are just cooked through - about 3-5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic, leeks, cabbage, and kale. Continue to cook until the cabbage begins to wilt. This will take 7-8 minutes.
• Next, add the thyme, salt, and black pepper. Stir into the vegetables.
• Pour in the vegetable broth. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Place the lid back on the pot and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.
• Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the green onions and the cream. Stir well to combine. Turn off the heat and allow soup to sit for 3-5 minutes.
• Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley or more green onions. (Optional.)

SAINT PATRICK'S SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Stir in potatoes, broth, beer, and mustard, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in cabbage and cook for 5 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in corned beef. Ladle into bowls and season with salt and pepper.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY POTATO SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE CRÈME FRAICHE: gently warm the heavy cream. Remove it from the heat and combine it with the buttermilk or sour cream in a glass bowl. Mix well, cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Give the mixture a good stir once it has thickened, then cover and refrigerate. It will thicken even more once chilled.
• TO MAKE THE PESTO: crush the garlic with the salt and place the mixture in a blender or food processor along with the basil, olive oil and nuts. Blend until the ingredients are finely pureed. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the basil mixture into a small mixing bowl. Fold in the grated cheese and blend well. Carefully stir in the crème fraiche. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• FOR THE SOUP: melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, leek, onion and celery and cook gently, reducing the heat after a minute or two, until the vegetables are quite tender, about 5 minutes. Do not allow them to brown at all. Add the potatoes, chicken broth and cream. If the potatoes aren't totally submerged in the liquid, add a little water. Simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and tender. Puree the potato mixture using a hand held blender or a blender or food processor. Stir in the buttermilk. Wipe the saucepan clean and pour the pureed soup through a fine sieve back into the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup while it is still very hot into soup bowls and place a good dollop of pest in the centre of each serving. Run a toothpick through the pest to drag it out decoratively over the surface of the soup.
• Great Potatoes.Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh.