Boarding House- Potato Dill Soup

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 I am big fan of soup, especially in the Fall and Winter month's. During the holiday's, I always serve a soup course, and my family looks forward to tasting what I have created for them! This soup is a recreation of one of my favorite soups. In Issaquah, Washington, where I lived for 13 years a long time ago, there is a little restaurant within a historic grouping of stores called Gilman Village. For over 32 years the Boarding House Restaurant has been serving homemade soup, salads and sandwiches and the Potato Dill is the house soup...always available! I always find it hard to leave without having a piece of their signature dessert, warm granny smith apple crisp...baked daily and served with fresh whip cream!  Mmmmmm



KCTS, our local PBS station, was putting together a cookbook with recipes from dining establishments and included one of my Boarding House favorites. I have changed it up a bit, to make it a bit lighter, as it is definitely not going on the "Figure Friendly" list! This is the best potato soup I have EVER tasted! And at this time of year, when the weather is getting cooler, even blustery...it is perfect!! This recipe serves a crowd!


Boarding House Potato Dill Soup
16 ounces, two cubes unsalted butter, plus 2T for onion celery mixture
2 cups flour
2/3 cup chicken base paste  
4 cups 2% milk
4 cups chicken stock
1 2/3 cups onion, diced  
1 2/3 cups celery, diced
11 cups potatoes, peeled and diced, about 5 lbs.                              
4 cups half and half  or cream
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup dill weed
1 tsp salt                                                                               
cheddar cheese, shredded

To make a roux, melt butter on low heat, then whisk in flour.  Add chicken base slowly, continuing to whisk.  Slowly stir in 2% milk, chicken stock. Add half and half slowly in 1 cup increments and continue to cook and stir until the roux achieves a gravy consistency.

 Cool before adding to the soup.  Saute the onions and celery in 2 tbsp butter until translucent.  Boil potatoes until almost cooked through, then drain.  In a large pot, combine the celery/onion mixture, potatoes, roux, cream, dill and spices.  

Cook over medium heat for 30-40 minutes.  Thin with half and half or chicken stock, to the get the consistency you want.  Top individual servings with shredded cheddar cheese.  Garnish with a sprig of dill!

Whew! Just back from a couple weeks in Europe!! What a great trip! One of the best in my memory!
Over 15 million gallons of water bubble daily into Budapest's 118 springs and boreholes. The city of spas offers an astounding array of baths, from the sparkling Gellert Baths to the vast 1913 neo-baroque Szechenyi Spa to Rudas Spa, a dramatic 16th-century Turkish pool with original Ottoman architecture. The "Queen of the Danube" is also steeped in history, culture and natural beauty. I was camera ready for the Historic Art Gallery, Heroes' Square and Statue Park, and the 300-foot dome of St. Stephen's Basilica. Breathtaking city! Here are a few pictures! 

 

 For a traditional Hungarian Goulash recipe with pictures, please go to Hungarian Goulash with spatzels and red cabbage!