Sunday 7 October 2012

POTATO AND CELERY SOUP WITH BLUE POTATO CRISPS

What luck!!
I was enjoying a laid-back morning with a cup of African Ruby tea, my favourite, sitting in my balcony trying to read a book that I had been putting off for sometime.

The beautiful morning breeze, the water-snake along the water edge too scared to swim in the middle of the stream, the beautiful blue-brown kingfisher with its sharp beak swooping down and catching that unsuspecting prey, a baby monitor lizard slithering in the tall grass, two koi fish playing right under my balcony  and two turtles who appeared to be playing the game of hide-n-seek with me, did not want me to know they were just two. They were going in and out of water and for a long while I could not make out if they were two or more, and finally an ugly dark grey stork-like bird that has been around for many years all lonely, deep in thought.

The tiny little brown-yellow bird, sitting between my beautiful pink Malti flowers, chirping in my ear, telling me to put off reading that book for another day.

And just as I was taking in all this beauty, my phone rang.
"Want to come? I am going shopping and leaving in five minutes", my friend said.
Tearing myself away from such a beautiful scene I made it to the car-park in ten.

Hoping I would get something that would compensate, I looked around and found these beautiful blue potatoes right here in Singapore. I stealthily scratched the skin of one potato and was relieved to find that it was blue all the way inside.

Yes!! What luck!!
My day had started beautifully. I came home with two bags of blue potato, not knowing what I would do with them.
So I thought I would start with a potato soup.


potato and celery soup with blue potato crisps

Potatoes as I have mentioned in my previous posts Zingy Potato Upma, Herbed Potato Medley are very healthy. Frying them adds the fat that makes them the dreaded calorie-bomb. Being tastier after frying, they tend to make couch potatoes of simple beings like me who love to eat them while watching the favourite television show.
Freezing them makes them unhealthy as mentioned in my earlier posts.

POTATO AND CELERY SOUP WITH BLUE POTATO CRISPS
makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
For the soup:
.Potato..........................................................3 cups, finely chopped
.Yellow onion..............................................1 cup, finely chopped
.Celery stick.................................................1 cup, finely chopped
.Butter..........................................................1 Tbsp.
.Garlic..........................................................1 tsp., finely chopped
.Green chili(bird's eye)................................1 tsp., finely chopped
.Bay leaf.......................................................1
.Thyme, fresh leaves.....................................1 tsp. lightly crushed
.Water ..........................................................2 cups
.Salt...............................................................to taste

.Milk..............................................................2 cups
.Water............................................................1 cup

 For the topping:
.Blue potato...................................................1/2 cup, finely chopped
.Blue potato................................................... 1/2 cup, grated thickly
.Carrot...........................................................1/2 cup, finely chopped
.Celery stick..................................................1/4th cup, finely chopped
.Red bell peppers..........................................1/2 cup, finely chopped
.Black pepper powder...................................to taste
.Lime juice.....................................................2 tsp.
.Olive oil/ butter............................................1 Tbsp.

For the garnish
. Pea shoots for garnish...................................a few
potato and celery soup with blue potato crisps and cream
.Blue potato chips............................................freshly deep fried
.Cream(optional).............................................1 Tbsp.
.Parmesan cheese.............................................2 Tbsp. grated or shavings
.Oil...................................................................for frying the chips

Method:
.In a pressure cooker, heat the butter.
.Add onions and saute till translucent. Add the potatoes and saute` for 2  minutes.
.Add in the chopped celery stick, garlic, green chili, bay leaf and thyme.
.Saute` further for 2 to 3 minutes.
.Add water and salt to taste.
.Pressure cook for 5 to 7 minutes or two whistle sounds.
.Take off the heat and wait till the pressure in the Pressure cooker is self-released.
.Remove the bay leaf.
.Using a hand-held blender blend the soup into a near smooth paste.
.Add 1 cup water and bring to a rolling boil.
.Add milk up to 2 cups to get the desired consistency.
.Add Black pepper powder and simmer.
.Add the lemon juice and mix well.
.Taste and adjust the seasonings.


For the topping:
.Heat olive oil/butter in a pan.
.Add the red bell pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.
.Add the carrot in the same pan. Sprinkle a little salt( a few grains)cook for 1 minute(should not
 caramelise). Remove from pan and set aside.
.Add the celery in the same pan and cook for 30 seconds or less. Remove from pan and set aside.
.Add the blue potato(chopped) in the same pan. Add a little salt(a few grains)and cook while stirring
 continuously for 1 to 2 minutes or until cooked.
.In the same pan spread out the grated potato in a single layer(preferably), sprinkle a little salt and cook
 till crisp. Flip and cook on the other side till crisp. Sprinkle a little black pepper powder.
.Deep fry a few blue potato chips just before serving.

How to assemble:
.In a soup bowl, ladle a few spoons of the soup.
.Gently sprinkle a little red bell pepper, carrot, celery and chopped blue potato, so that they float.
.Garnish with the crispy grated blue potato and a few pea shoots, the blue potato chips, a tiny bit of
 cream and cheese gratings or shavings and serve piping hot with buttered bread, cheesy bread,
 bruschetta or burger(as I did).

Note:
.Drain the vegetables well before taking them out of the pan thus leaving the oil/butter for reuse(for the
 remaining vegetables).
.The cheese gratings melt in the hot soup.
.This soups thickens on cooling. Add a little boiling hot water to achieve the desired consistency and
 bring it  to a simmer before serving.
blue potatoes

7 comments:

  1. The Blue Potatoes look great!!!...beautiful dish

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  2. Like this recipe

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  3. Well written blog. Must be bookmarked:)
    Feel free to visit my website ... canapé pas cher

    ReplyDelete
  4. So nice to see your food blog, Tulika. I am a friend of one of your relatives. Do drop me a line at roma@romasharma.com so I can introduce myself. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Roma. Hope you enjoy the recipes.

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