Chicken Cordon Bleu, Fried Asparagus, and Potato Soup

Our kitchen refrigerator's compressor is dead.  While we wait for a new one to come in we are thankful that we have a garage refrigerator and a freezer to put everything that had been in the kitchen refrigerator.  This has led to a tightly packed garage fridge and the need to use up stuff to make room.  Enter tonight's supper.

Last fall we had turnips in the garden and after some were canned we had about 2 quarts of the cooking liquid left over.  Some was used to make a potato soup that turned out quite nicely and the rest was kept in the garage fridge for a future soup.  What it was used for was a Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup and that recipe will below.

The good wife was expecting just the soup for supper but since it is getting warm here in coastal Virginia I decided the soup would just be a part of supper not the whole meal.  The centerpiece was Uncle T's baked Chicken Cordon Bleu.  The other accompaniment was fried asparagus.



 The baked Chicken Cordon Bleu was pretty simple.  Cut a pocket in the chicken breast leaving a 1.5 inch hole.  Put in a good chunk of sharp cheddar cheese and I put in some Uncle T's loin bacon.  The chicken was seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder then rolled in plain Panko bread crumbs.  A couple of small bits of butter were put on top of each breast and they were baked at 375 for 30 - 35 minutes until they reached 160 degrees internal temperature.  Since you won't have Uncle T's loin bacon on hand I'd suggest some Black Forest Ham or Prosciutto.

The asparagus was even simpler.  The Asparagus was trimmed then rolled in corn starch.  Then it was fried in skillet with enough oil to just cover the asparagus.  Once it had browned a bit the asparagus was put on a rack to drain and sprinkled with salt.

Now, for the pièce de résistance, the Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup.  These directions are for making it in the Vitamix but I'll have suggestions in case you don't have one.

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
6 oz Uncle T's loin bacon, cooked
2 cups turnip broth, a generic vegetable broth could be used.
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
salt and white pepper to taste

Dice the potatoes to 1/4 inch cubes.  Rinse them thoroughly and boil till just short of being done.  Drain and hold them.  Put 2 cups of turnip broth in the Vitamix.  Add 2/3 of the cooked potatoes and salt and pepper.  Turn the Vitamix on high for 30 seconds then off to check consistency, then add the milk.  Turn on for another minute then take the cap off to see if steam has started rising.  Once it starts steaming, add the grated sharp cheddar cheese and run until the cheese is fully incorporated.  At this point the soup should almost be hot enough.  Turn off the Vitamix if you are not quite ready for the soup.  When you are ready for the soup, turn the Vitamix on high and run until the soup is hot.  Stop the machine and add the bacon.  Turn the machine on high for about 15 - 20 seconds, this should chop up the bacon but still leave identifiable bits in the soup.  Stop the machine and add the remaining potatoes.  Turn the Vitamix on medium for just long enough to completely spread the potatoes through the soup be not chop them up.  Serve.

If you don't have a Vitamix, chances are you have a regular blender or an immersion blender.  If you have a regular blender use it to mix the broth and potatoes then transfer them to a pot to heat.  Some of the blended potatoes and broth can be kept in the blender to help it with the bacon.  Once the soup is hot then stir in the cheese.

This is a thick rich soup with lots of flavor.  If I was going to make it in the winter I'd be likely to use heavy cream instead of milk to make it richer.  The soup can definitely stand on its own merits if you are wanting just soup for a meal

In the end, I cleared out the last jar of turnip broth from the fridge and we had a fine tasty meal.  I hope you give some of these a try.  If you do, let me know how you liked it.

Uncle T