Next up is everyone's light favorite for the dog days of summer, Potato, Cheese & Chile Soup from Josh's parents' friends the Lewises, who also contributed the ill-fated Spring Fling Sugar Cookies (in whose defense I admit that had I read that they needed icing would likely have been lovely). True, I've actually been looking forward to this recipe ever since I saw it mentioned in the table of contents for the Soup section, in which it mysteriously never appeared. True, the 'heat' of July broke a couple of weeks ago and I've barely needed my fans on during the day, let alone air conditioning, and the nights are down right cool. But that's not very dramatic, is it?
Now, the thing about this soup is that Dorothy calls it 'Potato, Cheese & Chili Soup,' which makes me think it is a chili that somehow has potatoes in it. This is not the case at all. Rather, it is basically a potato soup, and a decent one at that. Unless the 'chili' part is inspired by the fact that it has cumin in it, then I think the title might actually be a misnomer/typo and that Dorothy means 'chile' instead of 'chili,' as there are green chiles in it, so that makes more sense to me. Then again, what do I know? Not a lot, that's for sure.
Dorothy's Potato, Cheese & Chili/e Soup has brought me to the point of acknowledging several conclusions I have drawn over the course of this Recipe Book experience. I will share them now with you:
1. I am extremely accident prone. This isn't news. I burned myself yet again in the process of the soup making when the overzealous gas burner managed to heat up the pot handle and not just the pot, which I then grabbed.
2. Soups, which heretofore seemed entirely mystical to me, are mostly just stuff that you mix up in the food processor and then heat up. Basically, soup is warm mush.
3. When you put potatoes in the food processor, they get this weird viscous, gelatin-y, sticky quality once they're very blended. I don't know what this is about, but it's true.
4. You need a decent-sized food processor. I do not currently have one, which often results in both a lot of extra work and my splattering shit all over the walls.
5. I don't like green peppers, but I'm okay with green chiles. I have no idea how this is.
Wasn't that exciting? I thought so.
So anyhow, this whole Potato and Whatever Whatever Soup experience was pretty placid. I mean, aside from the fact that when I was trying to use the egg beater to do some whisking (perhaps this was my first mistake?), it jammed and, as usual, splattered shit all over the walls. I think if my walls didn't get shit splattered all over them, they'd die of shock. And yes, I am aware I am anthropomorphizing my walls, but I would say that's the least of my problems.
Anyhow, in general, potato whatnot soup = smooth sailing. I made it. It came out. I ate it. It was decent. Then I put the leftovers in the fridge. Then we polished them off for lunch today. The end. But I guess that's just like Potato Soup, isn't it? Solid, dependable, good. But it doesn't leap out and do jazz hands in front of you.
Ha-cha-chaPotato, Cheese, and Chili/e Soup
4 medium potatoes - washed and dried
3 cups water
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion*
1 3/4 tsp salt (kosher!)
1 tsp cumin (stinky!)
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup diced green pepper (sigh)
1 can diced green chiles
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup grated Jack cheese
2 diced green onions
1. Dice potatoes into 1/2" cubes. Wonder if you are also supposed to peel them. Think, 'Probably not,' bue peel them anyhow since they have been hiding in your cabinet long enough to start growing their eyes, so it's probably a good idea. Cook in water for about 20 minutes. Assume this means boil. Sure as shit hope it does since you put the water on and didn't put the potatoes in until it was boiling.
2. While potatoes cook, saute onion in butter and olive oil. Wonder why both butter AND olive oil, when usually it's one OR the other. Remind yourself that yours isn't to question why and just do it. After about 5 minutes, add spices and green pepper. Huh, so this is where it said to add green pepper. You missed that last night and put it in at the end after re-reading several times and determining there was no mention of that stupid green pepper. Probably would have been better if at least the green pepper was cooked. Run out into yard while this is going on to get some basil from your garden and hope that the house doesn't burn down while you are doing this, which it does not. Continue sauteeing until onioins are soft.
3. Carefully puree cooked potatoes in their cooking water. Wonder how do you carefully puree, since pureeing basically means 'chop the living shit out of it until it turns to gel.' Maybe it means 'do not splatter it all over the walls, which for once you do not.' For chunkier soup, puree only 1/2 of mixture, which is exactly what you want, what you do, and what you recommend others do in the future.
4. Put potato puree and onions in sauce pot and add chiles, sour cream and milk. Whisk until well blended. Think, 'A whisk couldn't possibly do the trick,' and haul out the aforementioned ill-fated egg beaters, with which you promptly...adorn the walls and stove with potato goop. Trade out for whisk after all, and whisk until well blended, which it turns out works just fine, thank you. When hot, which you guess means you are supposed to have the pot over the flame, add cheese and green onions. Wait until Josh gets home from his errands for your birthday and then do this. Stir well to blend. Serve. Eat, carefully spitting out every hunk of green pepper you get in your mouth. Resolve to skip this ingredient should you make it again.
Dorothy notes: This works well as a base for broccoli or cauliflower soup. Just add cooked veggies as desired in puree process. Chopped carrots are also good. Adopted form Enchanted Broccoli Forest - Katzen.
Heather notes: Aha! That must be why I like it! That Katzen is one smart broad. Have you ever tried her spanakopita? Oh, her spanakopita!
*Onion chopping method: Mike Milch's special method, which oddly this time did not prevent eye bruning. Weird.
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