The Progeny
More Holiday Exuberance
National Soup Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Recliner Month
And you thought January was dreary!
Now, if you've gotten National Squirrel Appreciation Day all taken care of from yesterday, I've got yet another holiday to celebrate...
...National Blonde Brownie Day....wait, scratch that. Everyone knows brownies should have chocolate in them. A brownie without chocolate is like a political party without radicals. Not everyone may like them, but it's something we've come to expect.
So, Ma officially urges people to NOT celebrate national Blonde Brownie Day.
But, in honor of National Soup Month, Ma will now give out her secret recipe for one of the staples in our home. True, I haven't made it yet this winter, but still..
Peel potatoes and cube into pieces not larger than .5 inch, or 1.4 centimeters. Dump in large pot and cover with water.
(smart people would put a lid on at this point)
While this is heating to a boil (which entails turning on the stove), dice onion rather fine and throw in pot. Season with salt, pepper and at least one Tablespoon dried parsley. This herb is VERY important and I cannot be responsible for the soup if it is not included.
After mixture comes to boil, lower heat and simmer until potatoes are soft and tender to the stabbings of a fork. Also critical: stir the bottom of the pan with something flat, like a spatula, every once in a while so the potatoes don't stick.
Now, this next part is VERY IMPORTANT! Get a slotted spoon, or use the back of a flat spatula (the one you just used, for instance :-), and start mashing down the potatoes. Not completely, just some.
The idea is to provide a creamy quality to the soup, but still leave some actual potato pieces to be eaten.
After "texturization" is complete, place the cheese of your choice into the potatoey mixture. (NOTE: this is one of those times when sliced, processed cheese actually works better. But if you are an annoying purist, who insists on using "real" cheese--or like me, you are CHEAP and buy big bags of economy grated cheese--go ahead. Just know that you will end up with a more stringy consistency, where some of the cheese actually sticks to your spoon when you eat...so like....don't say I didn't warn you)
ANYWAY, the idea is to put some type of cheese in the soup. How much is up to you, but I would say the equivalent of 6 slices, at least. You gotta have a good cheesey flavor.
When the cheese is melted, add some milk. Could be two cups, could be more. You want to have a nice thick soup, hearty for the stomach and comforting to the palate. You will know you've added too much when it becomes watery and the taste diluted.
Of course, if this happens it's already too late and frankly, tough luck, fellah.
Now, at this point, you are heating up the cooked potatoes, the cheese that has been melted by the hot potato goodness, and the milk you have just added.
DO NOT LET THIS MIXTURE BOIL! If you do, the milk will start to separate, and you will have not only lost that thick creamy texture, you will in fact, have become a loser.
Of course, you can still eat the stuff, I just wouldn't offer it to company.
Now, some folks will advocate putting in the cheese after one has added the milk. But it is my personal observation that the cheese melts and blends so much better if added to the hot potato mixture, before the milk.
I mean, you can do it the other way, but you would be wrong. But hey, I'll leave that up to you and your conscience.
So, assuming the entire mixture has been heated up to steaming but not boiling consistency, you are now ready to ladle up and EAT!
This soup goes well when served with a slab of freshly buttered hot, homemade bread.
I could give you my recipe for homemade bread, but of course this is National SOUP Month, and not National BREAD Month.
I think this recipe came to our family through my sister, who learned it in Home Ec.
But if you want to attribute it to me that is perfectly fine :-)
Happy slurping, everyone.
Tweet
National Oatmeal Month
National Recliner Month
And you thought January was dreary!
Now, if you've gotten National Squirrel Appreciation Day all taken care of from yesterday, I've got yet another holiday to celebrate...
...National Blonde Brownie Day....wait, scratch that. Everyone knows brownies should have chocolate in them. A brownie without chocolate is like a political party without radicals. Not everyone may like them, but it's something we've come to expect.
So, Ma officially urges people to NOT celebrate national Blonde Brownie Day.
But, in honor of National Soup Month, Ma will now give out her secret recipe for one of the staples in our home. True, I haven't made it yet this winter, but still..
Potato Soup
-4 or 5 potatoes
-one nice-sized onion
-2 cups water (approx)
-1 T. parsley
-salt and pepper
-cheese
--Oh yeah, some milk
Peel potatoes and cube into pieces not larger than .5 inch, or 1.4 centimeters. Dump in large pot and cover with water.
(smart people would put a lid on at this point)
While this is heating to a boil (which entails turning on the stove), dice onion rather fine and throw in pot. Season with salt, pepper and at least one Tablespoon dried parsley. This herb is VERY important and I cannot be responsible for the soup if it is not included.
After mixture comes to boil, lower heat and simmer until potatoes are soft and tender to the stabbings of a fork. Also critical: stir the bottom of the pan with something flat, like a spatula, every once in a while so the potatoes don't stick.
Now, this next part is VERY IMPORTANT! Get a slotted spoon, or use the back of a flat spatula (the one you just used, for instance :-), and start mashing down the potatoes. Not completely, just some.
The idea is to provide a creamy quality to the soup, but still leave some actual potato pieces to be eaten.
After "texturization" is complete, place the cheese of your choice into the potatoey mixture. (NOTE: this is one of those times when sliced, processed cheese actually works better. But if you are an annoying purist, who insists on using "real" cheese--or like me, you are CHEAP and buy big bags of economy grated cheese--go ahead. Just know that you will end up with a more stringy consistency, where some of the cheese actually sticks to your spoon when you eat...so like....don't say I didn't warn you)
ANYWAY, the idea is to put some type of cheese in the soup. How much is up to you, but I would say the equivalent of 6 slices, at least. You gotta have a good cheesey flavor.
When the cheese is melted, add some milk. Could be two cups, could be more. You want to have a nice thick soup, hearty for the stomach and comforting to the palate. You will know you've added too much when it becomes watery and the taste diluted.
Of course, if this happens it's already too late and frankly, tough luck, fellah.
Now, at this point, you are heating up the cooked potatoes, the cheese that has been melted by the hot potato goodness, and the milk you have just added.
DO NOT LET THIS MIXTURE BOIL! If you do, the milk will start to separate, and you will have not only lost that thick creamy texture, you will in fact, have become a loser.
Of course, you can still eat the stuff, I just wouldn't offer it to company.
Now, some folks will advocate putting in the cheese after one has added the milk. But it is my personal observation that the cheese melts and blends so much better if added to the hot potato mixture, before the milk.
I mean, you can do it the other way, but you would be wrong. But hey, I'll leave that up to you and your conscience.
So, assuming the entire mixture has been heated up to steaming but not boiling consistency, you are now ready to ladle up and EAT!
This soup goes well when served with a slab of freshly buttered hot, homemade bread.
I could give you my recipe for homemade bread, but of course this is National SOUP Month, and not National BREAD Month.
I think this recipe came to our family through my sister, who learned it in Home Ec.
But if you want to attribute it to me that is perfectly fine :-)
Happy slurping, everyone.
Tweet
posted by Ma Hoyt | 9:40 AM
4 Comments:
Gramma always added rivels to her potato soup (no cheese, but some butter, I think). Rivels are basicly a clumpy egg noodle that is dropped into the soup to cook. It was used without drying as noodles would be. Gramma probably used them for filler. With the milk base and cubed potatoes it really was good. I'll have to admit, it's been a long time since I've made rivels though. (I'm pretty sure it came from the Amish.) Did your mom ever make them?
I do not remember Mom ever making anything like that.
I do remember one Sunday when she made dumplings, and we all stood around the oven watching her drop them into some liquid stew or...something. I only remember this happening once :-)
While I have made homemade noodles once or twice, I would definitely never try them again unless I had a noodle maker. And if it entailed always having to find some use for those extra egg whites.....well I don't know. I'll bet my kids would LOVE them, though.
I think you are right about rivels being from the Amish culture. I saw them in an Amish cookbook I have.
While potatoe soup is very good...chicken and dumplings are the best. Especially if you have grown up in the south...Besides dumplings are so easy to make. And less likely to get that accidental slightly burnt flavor when you forget to stir the soup. But then again, almost any soup is good in this cold weather...Here's to eating!!
My mother used to make the best home-made noodles, of course, always by hand. (Hers were such a nice yellow color--which I learned later she cheated to accomplish--a few drops of yellow food coloring did the trick.) But I have not been ambitious and followed her lead. I've taken a short-cut by buying the Amish-brand home-made noodles in the stores. They are not consistently available, so sometimes they are from Nappanee, sometimes from other towns. Probably even Pennsylvania on occasion. But they do seem to approach the goodness I remember from home.
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