Potato Soup

I don't know why, but I'm often most inspired to cook during a fasting period when I'm not eating any meat. This is a shame because most of the dishes I come up with would be a lot better with meat. Take my Potato Soup recipe for example. It'd be much better if I cooked it with a chicken stock base (instead of vegetable broth) and with chopped up bits of bacon (not to mention a little bit of bacon grease).

But alas! We're right smack in the middle of the Dormition Fast (which I know everyone is aware of and following very strictly -- HAHA), so my Potato Soup recipe does not have any of those fun, flavorful, meaty ingredients that we all love so much.

To be fair, the soup contains both oil and dairy, so it technically doesn't adhere to the strict fast anyway, but gosh darn it this Blog is about cooking! And I have an obligation to my fans (both of them) to post high-quality, FoodNetwork-like, Alton Brown caliber recipes! But since I'm not anywhere near that good of a Chef, you'll have to take what you can get, ok folks?

So here we go: Potato Soup (w/ a slight touch of BAM!).

Ingredients:

• About 34 oz of Vegetable Broth.
• 1/2 Cup of 2% Milk + 1/2 Cup of Half-n-Half (I'm totally guessing; I didn't measure).
  
• 4 to 5 Med/Large Sized Potatoes (Yukon Gold, or White Round should work fine). And please people, avoid the sack potatoes -- we're all about quality on this blog.
• 3 Large Stocks of Celery, finely chopped.
• 3 Carrots, chopped into fairly thin discs.
• A bunch of Green Onions (the more the merrier I always say -- they're mild anyway).
• 4 to 5 (or 20 to 30) cloves of garlic, diced.
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil.
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter or Margarine.
  
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper (or more of you like -- it adds a real nice kick).
• Salt and Pepper to taste.
• Shredded Chedder Cheese (for garnish).
• Sour Cream (for garnish).
  

Directions:

1. In a 6 Quart Stock Pot, add the Vegetable Broth, Celery, Green Onions, and Carrots. Heat on medium.
2. While the broth is heating, cube the potatoes (no need to skin them -- that's where are the vitamins are anyway).
3. Add the potatoes to the stock pot as you cut them. Towards the end, kick the heat up so that the broth hits boiling. The idea is to break down the celery, onions, and carrots and get those flavors infused in the broth.
4. Now is also a fine time to add Salt (kosher please) and Pepper as well as the Diced Garlic. I went with about a Tablespoon and a half of salt, and maybe a teaspoon of pepper.
5. Add the Diary (Butter/Margarine and Milk/Cream) now. It's OK if the soup seems watery. It will thicken significantly as it cooks, so don't be afraid to add more milk or cream if you think it needs it (remember: no meat in this dish, so the cream is critical for flavor).
6. Add the Olive Oil, and Cayenne Pepper.
7. Once the soup has boiled for 5 to 10 minutes, turn the heat down, and let the soup simmer for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better though).
8. Once the soup begins to thicken, taste it. Adjust the spices and cream/broth ratio as necessary.
9. Garish individual bowls with shredded chedder cheese and a dallop of sour cream.
10. Say a prayer.
11. Eat and enjoy!

Comments welcome.