She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. Proverbs 31

Monday, January 21, 2008

From My Kitchen ~ Potato Soup



Stone Soup is one of my favorite classical children's stories. Remember how the entire town comes together to add what they have to make the most wonderful pot of hot soup? That is kind of how I make my potato soup. I start with a basic recipe, and just add whatever I happen to have in the kitchen.

It is a nice frugal, but filling meal ... especially when served with fresh baked bread!

POTATO SOUP
8-10 potatoes, peeled & diced
1-4 carrots, peeled & diced
1 small onion, diced
water to just cover vegetables
seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, parsley)
1 stick of butter
1 C chicken broth
1/2 cup of cream or milk
2 T of flour

Add potatoes, carrots, onion & seasonings to pot. Cover with water. Boil them up until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork (but not too mushy). Remove from heat & add stick of butter. Let it melt. In a separate bowl, mix chicken broth, cream & flour with a wisk until smooth. Add to vegetables. Place back on heat to thicken, stirring gently. Then add more seasonings to taste.

Use what you have! You can garnish it with fresh parsley, cheese, croutons ... just whatever is in your pantry. Add chopped celery. No onion, just use onion flakes. No carrots? That's okay. It tastes just wonderful with just potatoes, too! We added fresh garlic our our soup since it is a booster to the immune system! It was delicious & healthful!

Of course, if you only happen to have stones, you can use the following recipe:

STONE SOUP
Heat some water in a pot,
Add some stones you've scrubbed alot,

Sprinkle pepper, salt & herbs,
Let it boil undisturbed.

Drop in carrots, onions, too.
Let the soup heat through & through.

Stir in milk to make it sweet.
Add potatoes for a treat.

Toss in meat cubes. Let it stew.
Let it bubble. Let it brew.

Taste the soup and when it's done,
Share stone soup with everyone!

May your pot be always filled,
Lea

8 comments:

Cora from Hidden Riches said...

Oh, Lea! I never heard the Stone Soup thingy! That is just wonderful! And I love potato soup -- with just about anything in it! Bacon, corn, ham, cheese, broccoli -- I've done it all! I have a bag of potatoes here --- sounds like a plan for supper! Might just add some homemade bread! Cora

Barb said...

This makes me hungry just reading it...and how tasty this would be today ~ a very cold day in PA! I have always liked the *stone soup* story...life needs to be just like this story *simple* and *accepting*, thank you for this reminder! Barb

Katy said...

That potato soup sounds so fantastic!!! Thanks soo much for sharing! :)

Anonymous said...

Hello Lea..
Love reading your web site...
the soup sounds great..Wil
have to try it.
Hate to hear your pc is n melt
down..I pray it is up and running soon..
Junebug

Katy said...

I just wanted to add that i plan on making this either tonight or sometime SOON!!! THANK YOU! :)

Katy said...

Me again! LOL just wanted to let you know that we tried this and it was great! I made a post about it on my blog (with pics!) Thanks so much! :)

Arlene said...

Wow, I haven't read the story of Stone Soup in a very long time; I think I will add that to the list of books for our son's "library" :)

I was blog-hopping today and found a link to your yummy recipe, and just thought I'd say hello! And, I think I will be giving this recipe a try sometime this week or next week... maybe even tonight! :) I'll let you know how it turns out!

Arlene said...

I wanted to tell you that I did make your soup and my husband loved it (so did I)! :~)

I diced everything very small, sauteed the veggies in a bit of olive oil 'til tender. Then, I covered them halfway up the sides with water and used a little more broth to just cover the veggies. Brought that up to a simmer, and since everything was chopped nicely, it didn't take long to soften them up. I also added some basil with the seasonings and only used half a stick of butter.

It was just delicious, and I wish I hadn't cut the recipe in half! Next time I will make the full batch, LOL! :~)