Ham & Potato Soup

     I'm adding this post for those of you who have my cookbook and for those who use the Recipes Pages on this blog.
       Since I had some sliced deli ham that needed to be used, I made the "Delicious Ham and Potato Soup" recipe on p. 64 of the Cookbook for lunch today.  The recipe is on the Recipes #1 Page, under Section 5: Soups & Sandwiches on the blog.  Here is the original recipe for easy reference:

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup         

This is a very good, hearty soup that I don't cook often because I don’t usually have leftover ham.

3 1/2 c. peeled and diced potatoes

1/3 c. diced celery

1/3 c. finely chopped onion

3/4 c. diced cooked ham

3 1/4 c. water

2 T. chicken bouillon granules

1/2 t. salt, or to taste

1 t. ground white or black pepper, or to taste

5 T. butter

5 T. flour

2 c. milk

   

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot.  Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir in chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.  In a separate saucepan, melt butter.  Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute.  Slowly stir in milk.  Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4-5 minutes.  Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through.  Serve immediately.

      I made a couple of changes which we thought caused the soup to be exceptionally tasty.  Instead of the water and chicken bouillon I used 2 cans of chicken broth.  Because the ham was salty and so is the chicken broth, I didn't add any salt, thinking I would add some in the end if needed. ( It wasn't.)  I also had a package of Swiss cheese that had already been opened so I wanted to use it before it got moldy.  I added a cup to the soup after it had thickened which gave it a great flavor.

(FYI: I have now changed the recipe on the blog to include these suggestions.)