Rice & Potato Soup

First, I thought you might enjoy a shot of this hitchhiking carrot which met its demise in this soup.

What to say about this soup...excellent carb-y comfort food! The tomato paste & cheese rinds add a lovely savoriness, without being overly tomatoey or cheesy. Please keep in mind that if you leave the cooked rice in all that liquid, it starts to disintegrate after a day or so. So if you're not eating all the soup at once, cook the rice separately and add in small quantities to each portion just before serving. Adapted from Lidia's Italian Table (Lydia Bastianich, of course).

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch cubes (approximately--don't worry about these sizes too much)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

2 celery stalks, diced

2 teaspoons tomato paste

10 cups hot chicken broth

2 two-inch square (or whatever size) Parmesan rinds

2 bay leaves

3/4 cup long-grain rice

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

salt & pepper

In a deep, heavy 4-5 quart pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (Potatoes might stick a bit, turn down heat if the bits are getting too dark.) Stir in carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften, about 2-3 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Add tomato paste and stir to coat vegetables.

Add broth, cheese rinds, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, scraping up any bits of potato on the bottom, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover pot and coot until potatoes begin to fall apart, about 40 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until rice is tender but still firm, about 12 minutes. Remove bay leaves and cheese rinds. Stir in parsley and season with salt & pepper to taste. Lydia suggests you chop the cheese rinds into bitty pieces and add them back to the soup. I kinda like it...though not all rinds age so well. Taste a bit before you decide if you want to add it back into the soup or toss.

My bag of Parmesan rinds I keep in the freezer.

Mashed Potatoes with Browned Onions

My favorite mashed potato recipe, although really just about any kind will do! The vinegar provides a distinctive tang, and sometimes I even add it to potatoes without doing the onions. This is adapted from a cookbook I've had for years 50 Best Mashed Potatoes. (No, I haven't tried all 50 recipes.)

3 tablespoons butter
1 lb. (Spanish) onions, halved & thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1+1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled & quartered (I use russet or Yukon Gold, or a combination of both)
1/2 cup hot milk
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onions, stirring to coat with butter. Cover & cook 10 minutes, or until onions soften and exude liquid. Uncover, increase heat to medium and cook 15-20 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until onions are browned and reduced to 3/4 cup. (Sometimes this takes longer--it really depends on how carmelized you want them.) Stir in vinegar and set aside.

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes, then return to pot & mash. Gradually stir in hot milk until potatoes reach the consistency you like. Stir in browned onions, salt & pepper. (I usually add more butter too!)

French Potato Salad

This is adapted from "Cook's Illustrated" (July/Aug. 2002), although I had been making something very similar to this, SAUCISSON LYONNAISE from Trade Secrets for a Three-Star Chef (Doubleday, 1994; a wonderful little cookbook) for years already. The main difference is that the latter recipe has bits of kielbasa mixed in. I've included those instructions at the end.

2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons salt
1-3 cloves garlic
1+1/2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 shallot, peeled & finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
optional add-ins: capers, minced chives, chopped cornichons
salt & pepper

Place potatoes, 6 cups of cold water and salt in a large pot; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium. If you want to "mellow" the garlic, dunk it in the simmering water for about 45 seconds, then mince. Simmer potatoes until tender but still firm, abut 5 minutes. With a large slotted spoon, spread out potatoes in a rimmed baking dish. Reserve cooking water.

Whisk together mustard, vinegar and garlic. Mix in oil and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Sprinkle potatoes with freshly ground pepper, then cover with dressing. If there doesn't seem like enough liquid for all the potatoes, add in more cooking water and another splash of vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Toss shallots, parsley and any other add-ins with the potatoes. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve warm or store in the refrigerator.

Variation: SAUCISSON LYONNAISE
Take one pound of kielbasa and cut into a few large chunks. Boil them for 10-15 minutes; skins will split. When cool enough to handle, take off the skins completely and cut into "bite-sized rounds." Add into salad with parsley & shallots.