Let's have a conversation about comfort food. You know, the food you go to when its cold and blustery and the winter blues have settled themselves firmly on your mood for a good long visit. Oh, those blues have set in here, and with it, a whopping two feet of snow. And a hankering for some good old comfort food.
I have lots of comfort foods, but I think I can easily say that cheese, bread and potatoes are always at the center of my cravings. I'll be honest, potatoes are at the heart of every craving I have. But, if you add bread and cheese to the mix I will whoop and holler and whatever drove me to needing that comfort food in the first place will be fast forgotten.
So, when the snow set in that closed schools in Montana for two days, I turned to the kitchen. Where else would I turn when its a billion degrees below zero and driving anywhere would be certain death? Okay okay, maybe I am being dramatic. The snow was cozy, but it was also the perfect excuse to get my comfort food groove on. That brings me to this: cheesy rosemary potato soup. In bread bowls. Mmm hmm....
**Even though I swore this wouldn't happen, I almost always mix and knead my bread dough in my KitchenAid mixer (unless I'm angry and need to knead out some anger). Any of my bread recipes can just as easily be kneaded by hand without a stand mixer**
PRINT THESE RECIPES!!
Bread Bowls
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water (105-110 degrees)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 Tbsp canola oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
Dissolve yeast & sugar in warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Allow to sit 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt, oil and 4 cups of flour. Knead on medium speed, adding the 3 remaining cups of flour as necessary, until a smooth elastic dough has formed.
Put the dough in a well-oiled bowl and lightly coat the top of the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 400F. Punch down dough. Cut dough into 8 equal portions and shape into balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until browned on the top. Move to a wire cooking rack and allow to cool completely.
To make bowls, just before serving, using a serrated knife cut inward at an angle around the top of the bread. Pull the top off and then scoop the middle of the bread out (go ahead and eat this bread, you don't need it for the bowls). Ladle soup into bowls and...Eat it!!
Rosemary Potato Soup
Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds russet potatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
6 oz feta cheese, crumbled, plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove 2 cups of the potatoes from the pot (using a slotted spoon or small mesh strainer) and set aside. Puree the remaining potato mixture with an immersion blender or food processor.
In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and then add flour. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Add milk to flour mixture, whisking constantly, and heat until thick and just boiling.
Slowly add the milk to the potato mixture and bring to a boil. Add reserved potatoes and then remove from heat. Stir in feta, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bread bowls, top with feta and rosemary and...
Eat it!!
My first thought was, how did you get fresh rosemary if you couldn't get out...then I remembered your wreath! Am I right?
ReplyDeleteNo...I had some fresh rosemary in the fridge from something else. Good guess though!
DeleteSounds great. I make bread dough 4 or 5 loaves at a time and store it in the frig til I'm ready to bake. I have some just waiting to be baked into bowls for this nummy soup. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteWhat a genius recipe! It's truly a perfect comfort food :)
ReplyDeleteYou know, one thing I absolutely don't miss about home is snow! I love that even the coldest days are still flip flop weather. But, I still love the comfort foods that are great with the snow. This would have been perfect during the sandstorm we have been having the last few days. Love the way fresh baked bread makes the house smell!
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with this soup!!! We haven't hardly had any snow but oh I would love some rosemary potato soup!!! I love herbs in potato soup!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother winner, Maggie! Two comfort foods in one dish - brilliant! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about this. Carbs wraps in carbs is exactly what I want on a cold day!
ReplyDeleteLove the soup!!! especially the bread bowls
ReplyDeleteThis does look so much better than the picture that comes to mind when I think of potato soup! I think it is the addition of the feta-that looks and sounds delicious. The bread bowls do look like a fun as well as tasty idea. Great post.
ReplyDeleteWith all that snow I'd need a double batch of this soup! I am so impressed that you made your own bread bowls! I'm still scared of bread-baking... maybe one day...
ReplyDeleteOh WOW. Mmmm. Cleveland is cooold, and that looks so delicious! I think I'd still chose chicken noodle if it was just about comfort but ooooh, that bread bowl :) Looks amazing!!
ReplyDeleteThis is comfort food indeed--love the addition of the rosemary in the potato soup. Buzzed!
ReplyDeleteYum, gotta love warm soup on these cold winter days. Looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteWould you please come over and make dinner for me?
ReplyDeleteThis looks so comforting and delicious. I LOVE potato soup, especially in a bread bowl. Although, when I make mine, I'm too lazy to make my own bread. I've got a lot of respect for you for having the patience to do that! Oh, and feta in the soup? Too good to be true!
Oh girl, I love those bread bowls, now I am going to have to make them tomorrow, to late tonight. What a wonderful comfort food, potato soup. I hope you stay warm, I can't imagine that kind of cold.
ReplyDeleteSo that's where all the snow is this winter!!!! What a great dish...I love that you baked your own bread bowls, and then filled them with a wonderful soup! My guys would love this!
ReplyDeleteI love the bread bowls!! I am not a fan of potato soup (hubby is though), but these could work for just about any soup!!
ReplyDeleteWe are supposed to get tons of snow tonight, I think it will be a comfort food weekend!
This is carb heaven!!! I want to eat this right now!!
ReplyDeleteDo you deliver? :) Love creamy potato soup, love bread with soup, LOVE this!
ReplyDeleteThere is seriously nothing better than a bread bowl, huh?!?!? :D And look at all of that snow! CRAZY! It's only snowed twice here in DC and it didn't really stick either time :(
ReplyDeleteOK. I love comfort food. I love potatoes. I think I might love you!
ReplyDeleteWow, this looks amazing! And what a great idea, I love the soup in an edible bowl, genius! Great food for a winter storm :) And congratulations on the Liebster you won, check it out here: http://caketocrumb.blogspot.com/2012/02/romanian-cozonac.html
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
This looks great! Definitely need some of this when the snow is closing school for two days. Luckily this year I haven't had too much snow. One big storm a year is enough for me. I always end up using the Kitchen Aid too but it is fun to knead it out sometimes.
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe! I could totally use a bowl of this right now!!! It is great for curing the winter cold or even the winter blues. Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteOne of my all-time favorite things is broccoli and cheese soup in a bread bowl from Panera Bread. Now I can make my own bread bowls! What a great post :)
ReplyDeleteyum this looks positively wonderful and comfortable. We have the same kind of tastes for comfort food, give me bread and cheese and i will be ahappy camper.
ReplyDelete