I made soup!
I made dinner!
No, no. It’s really not as bad as all that. I made dinner a few other times this week as well. I’m getting better, really I am.
This soup, called Sarah’s Potato Soup (by me) is from the eldest daughter of our good friends the McBride’s. The reason I take the time to explain that is that the lot of them are quite impressive in the kitchen and it’s possible this is a family recipe as opposed to Sarah’s exclusively. I know my friend Coco (Sarah’s sister) also makes it. The difference between Coco and me? She makes it on a random Wednesday night; I wait for a special occasion (a la First Friday in Lent).
I was actually going to make this soup on Ash Wednesday, but that was the night things got crazy and I ended up serving cereal for dinner. Really good quality cereal, only the best will do.
So I was all set to make the soup tonight and five o’clock rolled around and I found myself painting the back door. Paul called to see if we were still on board for 6:30 pm Stations of the Cross downtown and when I told him what I was up to, he kind of stifled a laugh.
“I wonder,” said I, “if I subconsciously will do anything to avoid cooking?”
But in a feat of beautiful awesomeness, I finished painting the door, got Stage One of the soup done and loaded us up to meet Paul downtown. We made it to Stations and then came home and I finished the soup. We just finished our meal, and about three to seven times throughout, Paul remarked that he could eat this way every night (soup, crusty bread, sharp Provolone, German lager). Good eats.
Ina would be so proud.
Recipe now:
Sarah’s Potato Soup
1 stick butter
2 C onions
1 C carrots
4t flour
8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3-4 cans chicken brothmelt butter and sauté onions, add carrots
sprinkle flour and coatmeanwhile (or before! If you remember!) boil the cubed and peeled potatoes for ten minutes.
Add sautéed vegetables to potatoes, add salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 45 minutes.Stir in a pint of sour cream, add grated cheese and green onions (I don’t add the green onions).
Enjoy!
I am catching up on weeks of posts, so I’ll put my comment here under the soup! Thank you for sharing every single thing you shared (except I don’t do Downton! Gasp! I know!). Especially thank you for the info on BOYS. And your new haircut is so sassy and awesome. And thank you for the exercise inspiration. I’ve not been taking my morning walk due to ice on sidewalks, but I should really figure something else out because you are right about the endorphins. And your delicate skin! I am so sorry! I am sure I forgot about something, but suffice it to say I love your blog. Happy Saturday!
Thanks so much! You are so sweet.
Do you drain the potatoes after boiling for 10 minutes then? I assume yes.
Ha! Yes, please do drain the potatoes. Also, use hot pads!
But…but…chicken broth? It’s a meat product.
It’s permitted! You can use chicken broth, consomme, broths using animal fat — all fine during Lent. As the Pope says, Penance fasting is a serious thing, but we shouldn’t be overly scrupulous.
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on your blog before, so let me start by saying I love reading your thoughts! But, I have always thought that broth was cosidered a “meat.” It’s listed here specifically http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/fast.htm as something from which we need to abstain. Of course, that may be an old article . . . ?
Here’s what I found, at http://www.americancatholic.org/features/lent/lentrules.aspx:
Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, milk products or condiments made of animal fat.
Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. So it is permissible to use margarine and lard. Even bacon drippings which contain little bits of meat may be poured over lettuce as seasoning.
I never knew this! Thank you!
Thanks for getting back on this. And I also agree that it’s super easy to use vegetable broth instead of chicken.
I don’t mean to be scrupulous. Our parish priest instructed us to abstain from gravies and broths in addition to other meat items.
Celine,
sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest you were being overly-scrupulous! I was just quoting from the text. Thanks for pointing this out to me — I do think it’s important to be aware of the “rules” on these technicalities!
Thanks for writing.
All good to know – I usually avoid chicken broth, but this make sense. Great recipe – you should share more. I always have trouble getting my people to eat soup. But my husband and I love it. So I bribe the other cretins with homemade bread to go along with the soup.
What kind of cheese do you put in the soup? Cheddar? My family is a big fan of potato soups, so this might be a hit…
Hi Rachael,
I just discovered your blog via Sarah at http://www.memoriesoncloverlane.com. I wanted to say that vegetable stock could be great in this recipe and would relieve any concerns about using chicken broth/stock when trying to abstain from meat or serving vegetarians. I use the 32 oz box/carton. Since the recipe calls for three to four cans of chicken broth (and they are typically 14.5 oz), buy two cartons of the vegetable stock. A nice thing is you can refrigerate the veggie stock you don’t use, right in the original carton, and use it within seven days to add some liquid/flavor to other things you are cooking.
If you don’t like the taste of the first brand you try, don’t give up on vegetable stock all together, try another brand. The taste can vary quite a bit between brands, depending on the veggie combinations/proportions they use and the seasoning.
Hope this helps. Glad to have found your blog and Happy Lent!
Meg