Potato Soup

I almost did not end up doing this recipe, the directions had me so baffled.  First, I need to boil diced potatoes...okay, got that part.  Then, next sentence, I am told to put them through a sieve.  Okay, so what you want me to do is drain the potatoes...got it.  Next sentence - add back to water the potatoes were cooked in.  What?!  In my head I had the image of me straining my potatoes in a colander.  This is by no means odd, we strain things all the time.  We do not, however, immediately re-add back to the cooking water.  What's the point of straining it in the first place?  I feel like there are a set of instructions that never quite made it to the page.

After I stared at the recipe long enough to make my brain hurt I flipped past it in disgust.  But then the desire to make a potato soup kept nagging at me.  I kept rereading that recipe over and over, stymied at those instructions.  Then I went searching around for other potato soup recipes on the great interweb and I found the word that made it all make sense - mashed.  Maria Luisa, you do not want me to sieve, you want me to rice!  I, however, did none of it.  Maria Luisa has not been privy to our conversations regarding my preference for chunky soup.  On this, and only this, will she be forgiven.  Therefore, I skipped the sieving.  However, if you would like something creamier, then by all means mash, sieve, or rice away.

I would also like to note that Maria Luisa does not add any suggestion regarding the fat content of the milk to be used.  Of course she also makes the usage of milk optional so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  For this recipe you boil the potatoes, bacon, and onions in just a bit of water. Once the core of your soup is cooked you then increase the liquid content with either more water, milk, or broth.  She also tells you to add the liquid preheated.  Maria Maria Maria, Mamma Mia Maria...you are killing me.  How am I supposed to hold my head high and declare Italians to be the best cooks when you have somehow managed to publish your nonsense with a major publishing house?  My head hangs in shame as I type up my version of your wackiness.

Oh wait....I should actually get back to my commentary on the milk before moving on.  The milk selection really depends on what consistency you wish the "broth" to be.  Milk with a lower fat content (skim, 1%, or 2%) will be more watery.  If you want something a bit thicker choose whole milk.  Or, the other option is to split between whole milk and cream.  You need 2 1/2 cups of milk, so if you want something creamy but not heavy, I suggest 3/4 cup cream and the rest whole milk.

Now for the recipe...

Potato Soup

Zuppa di Patate

Ingredients:

3 slices of bacon - finely chopped

2 lbs. potatoes - peeled and diced

1 lg onion - finely sliced

2 c. water

2 1/2 c. broth or milk - warmed [I went with 1% milk]

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large sauce pot, place bacon, onion, potatoes, and water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  

Add in the hot milk and salt and pepper to taste.  Over a low heat, bring back up to a boil.  This will likely take at least 30 minutes.

This soup is about as basic as it gets, but it is great on a cold day when all you want is something simple and hot.  Cooking time could take over an hour, depending on how long it takes for the soup to get back up to its second boil.  Honestly though, if you are hungry and you just want this soup to be done, turn the heat up on the stovetop and it will cook faster.  Every bit of the recipe, at that point, is already cooked.  The only reason you do a slow boil is to increase the flavor meld.  Just turn the heat to high and be done with it.