One of the things we’re already working on for the new restaurant is soups. We know we’re going to use a Minestrone we only minutely modified (and I’ll be happy to share at some point), and I’m working on a chowder. But one soup we’ve put together, and are still tinkering with a bit, is a loaded potato soup that started off as a meld of two other potato soups. Here’s the original recipe that I came up with by combining two other soups and needing to use a fennel bulb:

Chunky Potato, Ham, & Fennel Soup
3 med. potatoes, peeled, cut into small cubes, & cooked
2-3 TBL olive oil
3/4 c. red onion, finely chopped
1/2 lg fennel bulb, finely chopped
3 TBL all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 c. chicken stock
1 c. milk
2 c. chopped/cubed ham
1 c. shredded kolby-jack cheese (or cheese of choice)

While potatoes drain, heat olive oil in large soup pot; add onion and fennel. Saute until soft. Add flour and stir until smooth; add pepper and stir for about 1 minute. Add potatoes, stock, and milk; stir well. Bring to boil and add ham. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Pour into bowls and top with cheese.

Since this first incarnation, we’ve doubled the ingredients (just because that’s what we needed to do to cover our family); added sour cream, bacon, parsley, and scallions; changed the cheese to sharp cheddar; and changed the name (because this is planned as a SaxyK’s offering, no specific amounts are being listed).

Today, we’re trying the recipe in a crock pot and without the fennel. We have yet to have this soup the same way twice: first we had it like the above, then we had it with the changes just noted plus I had to play around with the milk/stock ratios and use water for some of the liquid because we didn’t have enough stock, today it’s going into the crock pot, and the Chef would like to try it with broccoli at some point. One of these days we’ll settle on the final recipe, although it’s likely to be a little different at the restaurant even then since my Chef is like most chefs and doesn’t measure much of anything.

As for the soup, which is now being called Loaded Potato and Ham Soup with Fennel, it’s a really nice, hardy soup. Perfect for cold winter days, low pantries (if you minus the fennel, though that’s not expensive at all if you go to a farmer’s market like we do, most everything is a staple for most families), and leftover holiday ham. And with the potatoes, ham, and veggies, it’s also pretty much a complete meal.

This was my first time playing with soup, and everyone loved it (especially the second version). Considering how I’m not really a natural like my Chef, I’m pretty pleased it came out so good.