Delightfully Dilly

I consider food a hobby. Cooking, food photography, and folk music... I intend to explore these here. I don't know much in any of these areas extensively. That's how I use the word "hobby". Something I casually learn in a leisurely way, & don't seek perfection in so much as interesting projects.

I made a half batch of the Dilly Bean Potato Soup, as instructed in "Simply in Season," last night.

I appreciate this book. It stays true to its idea of simplicity. Firstly in the ingredients list, which is generally fresh produce and not much else. I am a huge fruit & veggies fan. I find them attractive, refreshing, & diverse.

Another thing I appreciate about this book is the minimal instruction. Some things are relatively set, such as in this recipe "8 medium potatoes" or "1 1/2 cups of celery (chopped)". Many other things are dependent upon taste & availability, such as how long to sautee the vegetables, or how large of carrots to use. The instructions below the set of ingredients are usually limited to a short sentence, and the ingredients are bunched together in sections before these minimalist instructions.

Much of the preparation for this soup was chopping of vegetables. I am improving technique-wise in this area, but still need to improve uniformity and speed. All in all I was happy with my results, however. Most of the preparation consisted of boiling the ingredients in chicken broth. Happily we were able to use homemade broth that we produced last week.

It was richer, darker, & more flavorful than typical broth. I was a bit afraid that this would cover the dilly taste, but I need not have worried. The dill was subtle but pleasant. The vegetables were cooked to our taste, soft but not mushy. The potatoes were cooked as the recipe suggested, and were agreeably smooth perfectly short of a state of disintegration.

I felt that it featured the great northern bean in a way that many dishes do not. In fact, I've only ever had this bean in ham soups. Ham is one of my favorite foods, but not in soups. I liked this bean much better in this soup. Everyone went back for a second bowl, and one of us had a third.

The consensus was that the soup was a success, and we would all look forward to having it again. The creaminess was pleasant, & it lacked the thick heaviness that potato soup usually has to offer.

We ended up with about three bowls left over, perfect for lunch today. The recipe said it served twelve, so I halved it. I still think it could have served twelve.

The night was cold around us, but we filled our bellies with warm soup & our time with laughing company.

Favorite song (on my favorite radio station during cook time): Devon Sproule-Ain't that the way.