October Recipes: Potato Soup and Pumpkin Bread
This is hands down my favorite potato soup recipe. It is Tex-Mex comfort food. I make it when the weather is dirty and I want something easy to digest, filling, and what feels like a gentle hug or a rub on the tummy.
Tex-Mex Potato Soup
Ingredients:
8 large potatoes
Water for boiling
1 large white onion, peeled and diced small
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and diced small
*1 ½ large green bell peppers, cleaned and chopped in one-inch chunks. Must be green peppers!
1 T. each of olive oil and butter
¼ C. of drained mild green canned chiles They bring the Chile flavor to the soup without heat. If heat is what you desire, use Jalapenos!
1 C. Half and Half or full cream
¾ C. of sour cream
¾ C. of grated extra mature cheddar cheese
3 tsp. ground Cumin
2 green onions, cleaned and sliced small
Salt and pepper to taste (potatoes absorb salt so you may need to add more throughout the cooking time)
Directions:
· Peel and cut the potatoes into 2-inch cubes. They look large but will break apart in the soup.
· Simmer until fork tender in just enough water to barely cover them. Don’t overcook them! Remove from heat and set aside with a lid on to keep hot.
· Sauté the green bell pepper chunks and onion in the olive oil and butter with the ground Cumin until the peppers are soft but not browned. Toss in the minced garlic and let cook for no more than 20-30 seconds.
· Using a potato masher, break apart the potatoes in the pot until they just break apart.
· Add the sautéed veg to the pan with the potatoes, scraping the skillet well to get all the flavor.
· Add in the drained mild green chiles, **sour cream, **Half and Half or cream. Whisk gently until well blended. Some of the potatoes may break up and that is fine. The sour cream may separate and that is okay as well; it will come back together again at some point.
· Cover the pot and bring your heat back to a low setting to finish cooking the soup for about 45-50 minutes; this burns easily so make sure the setting is low and the lid is on the pot. Stir every now and then and taste for seasoning. You will know when it is done; the potatoes will be very soft, the sour cream has come back together, and the flavor is fully developed. Take a potato masher and gently mash just a couple of times to help thicken the broth.
· Stir in the cheese so it melts into the soup. Ladle into bowls and garnish with diced spring onions. A dash of Tabasco sauce adds piquancy!
Notes:
**Measure the one cup of Half and Half or cream into a 2 C. measuring cup. Add in sour cream until the liquid comes up to 1 and 3/4 cup. Whisk it together. Add it to the soup. Easy!
If you like a kick of hot spice, add in jarred jalapeno slices to your bowl.
*Bell peppers grow with either three lobes (male) or four (female). The four lobed peppers are sweeter in taste than the three lobed fruit. I always look for four lobes on my peppers.
This soup tastes better the next day. I often make it a day ahead and let it sit in the fridge to marry the flavors.
Pumpkin Bread
Yield: two loaf pans
INGREDIENTS:
one 15 oz. can of Libby’s Pumpkin Puree
4 eggs
1 C. neutral oil
2/3 C. water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ C. sugar
3 ½ C. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ Tsp. salt
2T. Pumpkin pie spice (see recipe below)
1 C. rough chopped Pecans (may be left out if you don't like nuts)
PUMPKIN PIE SPICE:
3 T. ground Ceylon cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsp. Allspice
1 ½ tsp. ground cloves
Seal in a jar and keep dry; use per recipe directions.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease two loaf pans.
Combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar until well mixed.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients ,just until blended.
Pour batter into pans.
Bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.