Potato Soup with Celery and Basil

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

When summer comes to an end and the first signs of fall start to show I begin to think differently.

All that my brain is able to come up with is dreaming about large, comfy sofas, soft, cuddly blankets, great books to read, heart-touching movies to watch and – AND – warm cups of soup to eat.

(And, pssst, mulled wine, too.)

For me, that is perfection.

And because I’m not only a hermit but also a photography freak, I’ll be showing you all the yummy soups and all the other comfort dishes that this magical season inspires me to prepare.

Please don’t you get scared by the words ‘hermit’ and ‘freak’ that I’ve just used in the previous sentence.

I don’t really mean them literally.

Hm.

But you know what?

I think I do…

I think I do mean them literally.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

These are the ingredients that I’ve gathered to prepare this wonderful soup.

The soup is thick, flavorful, comforting, soul-warming and satisfying – who on Earth would be able to say no to that?

I ask.
Would you like to see how I made it?

Well, come and have a look – I’ll be more than happy to show you!

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

1. First, peel, wash and dice up the potatoes.

To dice the potatoes, cut them in half, then place each half face down on your cutting board and slice it into half again horizontally. Continue and cut it into strips lengthwise and, holding the strip together, slice across them to achieve these cute little dices.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

2. Throw the potato dices into a pot.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

3. Wash and slice the celery stalks.

Please, please, don’t omit these. You’ll be amazed by how much flavor they add to the soup. They pretty much make up for the homely feeling that this soup delivers.

And if you happen to buy celery stalks along with the root, just like I did, then you can use the root in this delicious Tuna Sandwich.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

4. Grab the onion, peel it and chop it finely.

Chop, chop, chop.

A yellow nail polish is not necessary in the whole process, though it might help a little. I just don’t now how yet.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

5. Add the onions and the celery to the pot.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

6. Peel the garlic cloves and press them into the pot.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

7. These are basil leaves.

I’ve bought a basil plant recently and can’t get enough of it.

There’s nothing like the smell of fresh basil – it is strong and sweet and bright. And that brightness exactly works perfectly in thick soups to ‘lift’ and balance the taste.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

8. Finally, add the chicken broth and place the pot over medium heat.

Let cook until all the ingredients are soft – this process should take about 15 minutes.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

9. In the meantime, in a saucepan or a pan, melt the butter.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

10. When the melted butter starts to sizzle, stir in the flour to make a roux.

Cook the roux for a minute or two, stirring every few seconds so it doesn’t brown.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

11. Pour in milk at once while stirring.

Continue to heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or a whisk, until the milk mixture is thick and bubbly.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

12. Using an immersion blender, carefully process the potato-vegetable mixture in the pot until the mixture is smooth.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

13. Pour thickened milk mixture into the potato mixture.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

14. And give it all one more stir.

If the mixture is very thick, add additional broth till desired consistency is reached.

Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper to adjust.

potato soup with celery and basil recipe with step-by-step images

This is beyond delicious.

Try it, you’ll be happy.

Enjoy, dear friends.

Love,

Petra

(This recipe was adapted from Eat Real.)

Baked Potato Tortilla

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

I really love how this blogging mania of mine makes me learn things.

Before, I barely knew what an omelette was.

Well …not really …but almost.

Now, as I do basically nothing else but cook and read about food, I really love the stuff I discover about various foods and cuisines.

It’s totally addictive.

Take ‘tortilla’, for instance …in some parts of the world (like Mexico, for example) the word ‘tortilla’ refers to a flatbread made from corn or wheat whereas in other parts of the world (like Spain, South America or Cuba) ‘tortilla’ refers to an omelette, with variations that include vegetables such as onions and potatoes.

Who knew that?

Well, millions of people, Petra!

Okay, okay …but I didn’t …and now I do …which makes me really happy.

The place I decided to visit this time – at least gastronomically – is Spain. It seems that they really cherish and nurture their love for potato tortillas. Though I’ve learned that they like to prepare it by the process of very slow cooking in a frying pan I decided to bake it.

Call me a rebel if you wish to…

And you know what?

It turned out yummy!

Just perfectly flavorful, satisfying yet not too rich – just what a person craves these summer days.

Come, have a look at what it looked like in my kitchen while making this delish dish…

(‘Delish dish’ …hmm, is a person allowed to say anything like that?)

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

These are the ingredients that I’ve used.

Yes, it includes cheese.

I love cheese.

I mean I L-O-V-E cheese!

Cheese makes me go on… (and eggnog, too …and wine …and chocolate …and pumpkin seeds and …sorry).

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

1. If you’d like to make your own yummy baked potato tortilla then begin by peeling and slicing 5 medium potatoes.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

2. Then brush a round baking dish with some vegetable oil fairly liberally.

(I am using an 8 x 1 1/2 inches – 20 x 4 cm round baking dish here.)

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

3. Place the potato slices into the baking dish.
4. Sprinkle the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

5. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

6. Add the sour cream…

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

7. …and whisk just until well combined.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

8. Then let some cutting/slicing begin.

Slice about 1/2 of the leek into thin rounds.

If you don’t have a leek on hand right now, fell free to replace it with one half of a medium onion – slice it thinly and it will work just fine.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

This leek is a very cute thing… don’t you think?

Just cute.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

9. Then cut the Feta cheese into cubes, grate the Edam cheese and throw it all, along with the leeks, into the bowl with the whisked eggs.
10. Mix to combine.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

11. Pour the heavenly cheesy mixture over the potatoes.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

12. Slice the tomatoes into thin rounds. Then cut each round in half to get these cute thin wedges.
13. Arrange the tomato wedges over the top in an artistic way – please, let yourself be led by your inner feelings here …you can create any kind of art on top, depending on your mood. I was in a rather tidy mood this time, but you can go wild and messy, or abstract or even nihilist – with no tomatoes at all.

Or just don’t listen to me at all since this moving-to-a-new-flat-and-a-new-town that I am going through these days has left some marks in my brain obviously.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

14. Bake this yummy thing at 347 F (175 C) for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the dish comes out clean.

baked potato tortilla recipe with step-by-step images

If you are into cheese, potatoes and some fun then you’ll definitely LOVE this dish.

And let’s be frank here – who isn’t into cheese, potatoes and some fun?

See?

I am afraid that your fate has been sealed…

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