Recipe Background
Cici's Soup is a flavorful blend of vegetables and ham, perfect for a comforting, rainy day treat.
The creation of Cici's Soup traces back to a rainy afternoon shortly after I had made the massive life leap from city bustle to the quiet calm of the countryside. Moving alone was daunting, but there was also something electrifying about the unknown challenges ahead. The sky was dulled by thick clouds when I decided to invent a comforting soup with whatever I had on hand. I always keep unsalted butter in the fridge, and the caramelizing aroma of onions felt like the warmth of an old friend in my new, empty kitchen. Thinly sliced carrots and celery joined the mix — leftovers from a market run that summer.
A dash of smoked paprika, one of my favorite spices, brought a deep, almost mysterious flavor to this creation. Crucially, I remembered to cook the garlic to a fragrant, light gold before introducing the rest of the ingredients. When the dry white wine simmered against Yukon Gold potatoes, I realized I had unintentionally stumbled upon something rather special. The addition of cooked ham and a solitary bay leaf, remnants from a previous comforting meal, transformed the bubbling broth into something almost magical.
Just before serving? A swirl of half-and-half turned it all luscious and satisfying. Chopping parsley for garnish, it occurred to me how unfathomably new experiences can become familiar. Pro tip: let the soup rest for just a moment before serving, allowing all those wonderful flavors to mingle melodiously. That bowl of soup, created on a whim, made the chill of the country air feel like a welcoming embrace
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 medium carrots peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced crosswise
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and chopped into roughly 1-inch-thick chunks
- 3 cups ham cooked and chopped into small pieces
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup half-and-half
- parsley to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
- Add the onions, the carrots, the celery, the salt, the pepper, and the paprika to the melted butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the veggie mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until it is fragrant and lightly golden, about 2 minutes.
- Add the flour to the veggie mixture and cook until it is lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to high, then add the wine to the veggie mixture.
- Bring the veggie mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes.
- Add the broth to the veggie mixture, then add the potatoes, the ham, and the bay leaf. Bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup until the potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir the half-and-half into the soup mixture.
- Taste the soup and season with the salt and the pepper, as needed. Stir to combine.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf from the soup.
- Serve the soup garnished with the parsley.
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