Potato Soup and Cheese Sticks

Officially its fall but it still feels like its summer and not about to change anytime soon. I am tired of this weather.

I do know though that the weather is changing because my allergies have been flaring up. Leo is way so I have to take care of Leo Jr feeling the way I do. Good times!

A few years ago, my doctor said my allergies would appear this time of the year because we would start wearing clothes that would have been packed away in March/April. I feel like calling him and telling him you were wrong. To be fair though we do get a lot of mold this time of the year. My first year in Bermuda I was so so shocked to wake up one morning to find all out shoes had a white film. I had no idea what it was and knew nothing of dehumidifiers, closet heaters or Damprid. It was all new to me but now I know how to keep my clothes mold free in what has to be one of the most humid places on earth.

I told my friend that I was not feeling ok and she suggested soup. Lots of soup, actually. I love soup but today I just did not want to be bothered. When my allergies flare up, my brain is foggy. Did I mention it’s still hot over here? Plus I did not have ingredients for my favourite soups, pumpkin soup. After today, I am not sure if it is still my favourite. I have to make it again soon just to confirm.

I made potato soup and cheese sticks. This was the best decision I made today. Part of the reason I love making soup is that I get to chop a lot of vegetables. It truly is therapeutic for me. My fogginess cleared for a while.

Most soup recipes usually use bacon. I do not eat bacon so I used a smoked breakfast beef. It is cut to look like bacon. It does contain a lot of fat so I rendered it down and used the fat to saute the vegetables.

All those little bits gave the soup great depth and flavour.

I added the potatoes and the stock and brought it all to a gentle boil. After 10 minutes, I used a masher to break down some of the vegetables to give the soup a nice consistency.  I blended the milk and flour and added to the soup to make it thicker. I added the cream and season it with extra pepper. I did not add any salt because the beef had plenty salt for the soup. I do not like a lot of salt in my food.

The cheese sticks are so easy to make. I use store-bought puff pastry. You roll it out and brush with an egg and toss some parmesan cheese. Fold it in half and brush with the rest of the egg and cut into 1/2″ strips and twist. Bake for 5 minutes or until golden and crispy.

We could not finish all this soup so I froze the leftover in containers which I will reheat another day. So this will save me time.

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Potato Soup and Cheese Sticks

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12

Author Princess Tafadzwa

Ingredients

• 6 slices breakfast beef cut into 1-inch Pieces
• 1 medium Onion diced
• 3 whole Carrots diced
• 1 each red bell pepper green bell pepper and red ped bell pepper diced
• 6 whole russet potatoes peeled And diced
• 8 cups beef stock
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
  Cheese Sticks
  
• butter for greasing
• 2 sheets puff pastry thawed
• 1 egg beaten
• i cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Add beef pieces to a pot over medium heat and cook until crisp and fat is rendered. Remove the beef from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.
2. Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and peppers. Stir and cook until softened.Add the garlic and diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes,and season with black pepper and cumin.
3. Pour in the stock and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Using a masher, roughly mash the soup. If you want you can blend half the soup until smooth and pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in cream.
5. Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp breakfast beef pieces.
   Cheese Sticks
   
6. Preheat oven to 400F
7. Roll the puff pastry out thinly on a floured board
8. Brush with half the egg and toss half the parmesan cheese. Fold the pastry in half, brush with the remaining egg and toss the remaining cheese.
9. Cut the pastry into 1/2" wide strips and twist the strips. Add some black pepper on top of the sticks. Place on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes or until golden and crispy.