Friday 25 September 2015

Viennese Potato Soup - With A Twist of Mushrooms

I love potatoes!  But who doesn't?  The other day while puddling around in my cookbook collection, I found this little beauty.  Mr P. says it is mine; I say it is his.  It is a mystery as to how it appeared on our shelves.  (And I fear there are others lurking in the depths).


a mystery volume on the shelves :=)      

The Princess was a princess before she married the Prince.  She was born Princess Windischgraetz, so she could already hold her own in the Royalty stakes.  And clearly she was a lover of potatoes. She tells us that the Brits were eating over 100kg. of spuds per head each year (and that was back in the '80s!).  Amazingly, you can still buy this book which was first published in 1981.  See, potatoes are the cat's pyjamas; everyone loves them.

Here is my version of the Princess's potato soup; ramped up with extra mushrooms and bacon.  Oh, and even a few more tatties.  I had planned to make mushroom paprika soup (from an old photocopied page; not sure where it came from), but then I saw this book and the die was cast.  Who could resist recipes like Prague potato soup, potato wine or even better - pommes de terre (potatoes) au lard? Happily, that means bacon in English, not pig fat! 

ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil 
2 tbs butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
140g. rindless bacon, chopped (4 or 5 slices)
1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
4-5 medium potatoes, diced  (I only had wee ones so I used 9)
500g. mushrooms, sliced 
A few caraway seeds (optional)
2 tbs plain flour
Zest of half a lemon
A handful of parsley, chopped
1.25 L of stock (chicken or beef is fine)
1 tsp salt
Black pepper (I used about a dozen grinds of the mill)
200 mls. sour cream


Method:

Heat the oil and 1 tbs of butter in a large saucepan
Add the onion, and stir till just turning golden
Tip in the bacon and stir some more
In goes the paprika
Then the potatoes and mushrooms
Throw in the caraway seeds if using
Give it a good stir
Add the other 1 tbs of butter and stir in
Sprinkle over the flour and stir it well in
Add half the lemon zest and parsley
Pour in the stock and - you guessed it! -  stir it together
Add salt and pepper
Turn it down low and simmer gently for about 25 minutes
When the potatoes are tender, add the sour cream and heat gently - do not boil the cream as it will curdle (will still taste great!)
Throw in the other half of the lemon zest and parsley
Season with more salt and pepper if desired


a mountain of sliced mushies 

a benchful of ingredients 

a bowlful of bacon   


tip in the mushies  

give it a good stir 


simmer for about 25 minutes till potatoes are tender 

a dollop of sour cream

me in my cooking gear!  (I have lots of aprons)  


my mushie doodle:=) 

   

8 comments:

  1. Dear Sherry, I am pleased to have found your blog properly again ... last time you visited mine, I visited yours and tried to find new posts, but couldn't! I can't believe you have a book about potatoes by a princess. I am going to solve your mystery by guessing that the book is really Jill's (I inherited some of her cookbooks of a similar vintage) and you stole it from her when you were all house sharing. That is why you can't remember if it is yours or Mr P's.
    Also, I see you want to visit Green Gables - well I did visit it and it was nice, but I was a little shocked to discover a six lane bridge full of semitrailers leading to Prince Edward Island, not to mention Tutenkhamen's Tomb down the road from Green Gables!
    Now I am going to make your soup. I knew I bought potatoes last night for a reason.
    Gay :)

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    1. Ooh yes. It could be Jill's. Sounds a bit like her:).

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  2. Sherry this cookbook looks like lots of fun! I love the name of the author too. I mean who can resist a princess that cooks too? :D

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    1. i have a feeling she may have got the servants to actually cook lorraine:)) but i could be wrong- maybe she slinks off to the palatial kitchen, dons an apron and starts chopping.

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  3. Hehe - would a wonderful book - Sherry - and your take on the Princess soup looks wonderful - with the cold wet weather we are having might be just the go!

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    Replies
    1. thanks rachel. it was very warming and delicious. perfect for a cold night (not that we have many of those in brissie this time of year).

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  4. I expected the potatoes to be blitzed up so the last few pictures were a surprise. I'm surprised the Princess was doing potatoes. Surely she was more a caviar gal? I suppose the recipe options would have been rather limited!

    ReplyDelete

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