I was feeling a little under the weather a few weeks ago. As in, standing outside wearing next to nothing, and getting pounded by cold wind, rain, and hail. Seriously where does a phrase like "under the weather" even come from?? It started out as a runny nose, you know the typical fall Missouri allergy greeting, and then slowly turned into stuffy nose, constant sneezing, coughing, and no voice. By the middle of the week I'd had it! Not to mention the fact that I can't take any meds, and I'm sleep deprived as it is. I wanted soup for dinner, but I really wasn't feeling chicken noodle soup. I wanted something hearty...annnndddd we had some spare potatoes lying around.
I've been wanting to make homemade bread bowls for a long time, and my friend Ang told me she had a recipe at home for easy refrigerated dough bread bowls (she's my source anytime I need a new recipe!) I'm not really sure where she got this one so I can't credit it, but it was super easy, and the perfect addition to any soup! It really took it over the top...
So I put on my sweatpants, laid the baby down to play on his mat, and enjoyed this warm intro to fall.
Start by bringing the potatoes, ham, and water to a boil, then cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. I like to cook them on the lesser side of that time because they will continue to cook in the soup.
Pop open your can of store bought pizza crust. Scare the bejeezus out of yourself. I do it everytime..never fails.
Cut the dough in half, leaving it in tact. Stand the dough up cut-side-down on a baking sheet. Then smush it down (yeah we get technical around here)...
Drizzle olive oil over the dough rounds and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Go for the cheap grated stuff...we've already gone the easy route with the store-bought pizza crust, so we may as well keep it classy. Now pop those babies into the oven and let the magic happen. Just be careful not to let them burn. Mine look a little brown because of the whole grain variety, but just be careful!
Now start sauteing your onions in the butter. Cook them until they are translucent (fancy for almost see-through) and sprinkle the flour in. Stir in the flour and cook it for a few minutes to get rid of the chalky taste. The mixture should resemble wet sand. Stir in the milk and cook slowly so you can get all the lumps out. Then add the potatoes, ham, water/chicken boullion mixture to the pot. Stir and make sure it is heated through and you're good to go!
Now watch closely...because this next part goes fast...Get your bread bowl.
Cut the top off. Scoop out the guts (being careful not to poke a hole in the sides!)
Add soup. Curl up. Stuff yourself. Thank me tomorrow.
Hearty Ham & Potato Soup makes 8 servings Ingredients:
4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3-1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp chicken bouillon powder
salt to taste
1 tsp ground pepper
5 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Directions:
1. Combine the potatoes, ham, and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper.
2. In a dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Sprinkle in flour and whisk until consistency resembles wet sand. Let the flour/butter/onion mixture cook for a few minutes. Slowly whisk in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium low heat until thick, about 5 minutes.
3. Slowly stir the potatos, ham and water into the white sauce and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.
Adapted from
All Recipes Crispy Bread Bowls makes 4 bread bowls Ingredients:
2 packages (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese (optional), divided
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Remove dough from packages. Cut each in half to form four equal portions. Place dough cut-side down on stoneware pan. Press lightly to form 4-1/2 inch rounds.
2. Brush each round with 1 teaspoon of olive oil; sprinkle with cheese if you like. Bake 21-23 minutes or until deep golden brown.
3. To serve, slice off the top of each bread round; carefully remove the center to form a bowl. Place on plates; ladle soup into bowls.
