MADDIE here, delighted to welcome my good friend, the talented Annette Dashofy, as our guest on the blog today. Her latest book is Death By Equine - and you MUST read it ASAP. It's that good. She's giving away three e-copies of it to three lucky commenters!
Annette Dashofy’s Potato Soup
When Edith invited me to post a recipe here, I admit I was honored…and terrified. In my new mystery, Death by Equine, Dr. Jessie Cameron is a vegetarian working at a Thoroughbred racetrack. Her options at the concessions stand where she grabs a quick bite between veterinary calls are sparse. She tends to live on French fries and nachos. Not healthy and not much to base a recipe on.
So, while it’s not in the book, my tried-and-true creamy potato soup is something that Jessie would definitely whip up at home. And my vegan version can easily be made vegetarian by swapping almond milk and Smart Balance with regular milk and butter. Diehard carnivores could add ham or bacon, although trust me. Even my meat-eating husband and nephew love it just the way it is.
Ingredients:
6 large potatoes
6 stalks of
celery
2 or 3 carrots
1 medium onion,
chopped
6 tablespoons
Smart Balance or other buttery spread
6 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups plain
unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots into small chunks. No need to dice. Same with the celery. Rinse the potatoes to remove excess starch and then place the veggies (except for the onion) into a large pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid, and set aside. In the same pot, melt the “butter.” Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
Add the flour, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly until blended. Gradually stir in the almond milk, continuing to stir, until it starts to thicken.
Dump the vegetables back into the pot and begin ladling in the reserved liquid, bringing the mixture to a simmer.
Use a potato masher to mash the vegetables as you stir.
Continue until the vegetables are broken up and the soup is the desired consistency. Serve hot and enjoy! Prep time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 30 minutes. Serves six.
In Death by Equine, veterinarian Jessie Cameron agrees to fill in for her mentor, Doc Lewis, at Riverview Racetrack so he can take a long-overdue vacation. When he’s tragically killed by one of his equine patients the night before he’s supposed to leave, Jessie quickly suspects the death is anything but accidental. Her search for the truth is thwarted by everyone from well-meaning friends to the police, including her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Undaunted, she discovers layers of illegal activities and deceit being perpetrated by the man she thought of as a father figure, creating a growing list of suspects with reason to want Doc dead. Too late, she realizes that her dogged quest for the truth has put her in the crosshairs of a devious killer desperate to silence her. Permanently.
Annette Dashofy is the USA Today best-selling author of the multi–Agatha Award nominated Zoe Chambers mystery series about a paramedic and deputy coroner in rural Pennsylvania’s tight-knit Vance Township. Her latest release, a standalone, is Death by Equine, about a veterinarian at a second-rate thoroughbred racetrack seeking the truth about her mentor’s mysterious death. She and her husband live on ten acres of what was her grandfather’s dairy farm in southwestern Pennsylvania with their very spoiled cat, Kensi.
My family loves my Italian Stew. It is even better the next day, but usually never have any left over.
ReplyDeletelindalou64(@)live(dot)com
I often fill a canning jar with this potato soup to give to my nephew, and my husband squawks because that means less "leftovers" for him!
DeleteI don't do a lot of entertaining, but I have some family favorites. My older son, in particular, loves my Chinese chicken salad and my Thai shrimp pasta. mbunting(at)sbcglobal(dot)net.
ReplyDeleteMargie, Thai shrimp pasta sounds fabulous!
DeleteWelcome to the Kitchen, Annette, and congrats on the new book!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leslie!
DeleteThis sounds smooth(ish) and tasty. I like that you can mash it to your preferred consistency.
ReplyDeleteGo to dish? Depends on who's coming: allergies, food preferences, etc.
libbydodd at comcast dot net
Libby, that's exactly right regarding the mashing. The original recipe I'd tried called for dicing the potatoes, carrots, and celery, which was just too much work! I quickly learned to cut the veggies bigger and then mash them to creamy perfection once they were soft.
DeleteThat soup looks good! I don't really have a go-to dish anymore. I haven't made it in a long time but family always enjoys King Ranch Chicken casserole.
ReplyDeletepatdupuy@yahoo.com
Thanks, Pat. It is! And that casserole sounds amazing.
DeleteWelcome, Annette! This recipe looks and sounds fantastic. Congrats on the new book which also sounds fanastic! Hugs. MJ
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, MJ!
DeleteI'm immediately hungry for potato soup. Nice to have you in the kitchen today, Annette. Congratulations on the new book!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Molly!
DeleteCongratulations on your new release. I don't really have a go-to dish because I don't cook much anymore.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks, Dianne. I don't cook as much as I used to either.
DeleteFor a go-to main dish my family loves kielbasa stew. I have to make a triple batch because they love it for leftovers the next day too!
ReplyDeleteThat's the best kind of recipe...when you have to double and triple to recipe!
Deletemy family always enjoys my mom's recipe for chow mein.
ReplyDeletewskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
Yum. I haven't had chow mein in ages.
DeleteFor me, it is chili. I serve it over rice with cornbread on the side and I have a variety of toppings on the side. It is what I call comfort food. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love chili! Sadly, my husband does not. But every year when he goes on his annual guys' camping trip, I make a huge pot and eat it the entire time he's gone!
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