Comfort in the Cold: Dim Sum Sunday Soup!

Darlings, I don't expect any pity. Really, I don't. But, it HAS been a very chilly winter here in Miami and Florida in general. The last few days saw the thermometer dropping again with temperatures in the 50's during the day and down to the 40's at night. And to make matters worse, La Diva is losing her tan!!!

Yeah, I know, boo-freakin'-hoo.

Still, when one gets acclimated to mild Southern winters, those temperatures seem cold. I mean, we couldn't just lounge about outside with our guests on Saturday night like we usually do when we barbecue on the bay as the blowing wind and cooler air had us all huddling 'round the fire! And forget about swimming in the pool like we had planned, it was just too darn cold!

Yeah, I know, boo-freakin'-hoo.

So what's La Diva's point? The point is, it's perfect weather, even in Florida, for some nice, hot, comforting soup!

Living in the middle of the frigid tundra known as The Midwest, Dim Sum Sunday hostess The Great Shamu chose this week's theme of "Hot Steamy Soup" hoping that a big bubbling pot would finally warm her cold, winter-weary bones!

As per usual, my CSA dictates the kind of soup I'll make and La Diva found herself with some lovely petite red skinned potatoes and some gorgeous spinach. I thought about the combo and suddenly, La Diva had a baconization inspiration!

The Great Shamu shoveling her sidewalk...again.

I started off by cooking six slices of thick bacon in the oven over a rack and used the drippings to saute a diced white onion, stalk of celery and garlic. I cooked this for about 10 minutes and then I added the peeled and cubed potatoes, 32 oz. of good quality chicken stock and simmered for about 25 minutes. I chopped the cooled bacon into nice, bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, I washed and chopped the spinach and green onions.

I wonder if the Chicago Blackhawks would let Shamu borrow their snow shoveler?

Once the potatoes were cooked through, I then took half of the soup out and put aside and blended the other half with an immersion blender. I poured the chunky potato broth back in and then added the bacon, saving a bit for the garnish. I cooked on a low heat and adjusted the seasonings with salt and white pepper and then added a nice knob of butter and about a half cup of cream.

Finally, I added the chopped spinach and allowed it to wilt for five minutes before serving it up garnished with extra bacon, spinach chiffonade and the green onions.

La Diva's photo with her tired ol' camera. DJ Nevah L8 is not home yet.....and it's doubtful he'll be wanting to play food photographer when he finally gets home. So, we'll have to wait just a leetle bit longer for shots from the new camera.

RESULT: OH COME ON NOW. You KNOW it was divine. La Diva baconized it, so it HAD to be good! Since La Diva was meant to cook this yesterday, I had a day old loaf of French bread so instead of the usual bread and butter, La Diva made some crunchy, healthy fresh tomato bruschetta to help assauge my creamy, buttery baconized guilt.

Go on over to the Karmic Kitchen to see what everyone else made for their Hot Steamy Soup entry! Ciao, darlings, and do try and stay warm. La Diva is off to the pool.....
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