Potato Soup

Comfort foods are back in fashion. We see celebrity chefs giving out recipes of comfort foods on their shows, food writers writing about them and well, we the ordinary people, never stopped cooking them! There can be a lot of reasons why they are back in the shows and celebrity kitchens. Maybe to keep “grandma’s” recipes alive, maybe to stress the importance of simple food in our life that keeps getting more and more complex day by day or maybe to remind us of the importance of home cooked meals.

Whatever is the reason, I am not complaining. Cooking comfort food gives me the same joy as cooking an intricate meal, but to be honest when it comes to eating I enjoy the former more. And that can be because I love eating what my kids eat!

Ingredients

Yellow onion – 1 large

Potatoes – 4 medium

Butter – 1 tsp

Milk – 1 cup

Water – 4 cups

Italian seasoning – 1 tsp

Red chili flakes (optional) – a pinch

Corn starch (optional) – half tsp

Cinnamon powder – quarter tsp

Grated cheese and dried parsley – for garnish

Salt and pepper

Chop onions and potatoes into big cubes separately and keep aside. In a deep pan, heat butter and add onions. Cook them till soft. Add potatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, seasoning, chili flakes, salt, pepper and cinnamon powder. Mix well, cook covered for 20 minutes or till the potatoes are done. Cool and puree it in the mixer. Transfer it again to the pan and turn the heat on. Dissolve the corn starch in the milk and slowly add to the soup once it starts boiling. Stir well and cook for a minute before turning the heat on. Sprinkle more pepper if desired, garnish with grated cheese and parsley for better presentation. (Which is what I did, the soup itself is so scrumptious, doesn’t need any garnish at all).

Serving suggestions

·         With sourdough toast/garlic bread/crunchy veggies

Tips

·         Vegetable stock or broth can be used in place of water in this recipe.

·         Corn starch has been used to thicken the soup, you may skip it.

  Interesting fact

·         The potato originated in Peru.

·         Potatoes are the easiest to grow but do not store well.

·         There are over 4000 varieties of potato.

·         Potato is also used to make wine and is used the same way as vodka though the alcohol content is a lot less.