Louisiana Creamed Soup

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 ounces clarified butter
• 2 ounces bread flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 small onion, peeled
• 1 whole clove
• 1/2 small bay leaf
• salt
• nutmeg
• pepper
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onions
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 1 cup diced cooked turkey or 1 cup chicken
• 1 cup diced cooked potato

Recipe

• 1 make a bechamel sauce as follows: heat clarified butter in medium size saucepan.
• 2 whisk in bread flour and stir and cook over low heat until light cream color, but at least 1 minute.
• 3 cool slightly.
• 4 in another saucepan, scald the milk.
• 5 gradually add milk to the roux (flour and butter mixture) beating constantly with whisk.
• 6 bring sauce to a boil, stirring constantly.
• 7 reduce heat to a simmer.
• 8 stick the bay leaf to the onion with the clove.
• 9 place onion in sauce.
• 10 simmer at least 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• 11 season very lightly with salt, nutmeg and pepper.
• 12 strain through a china cap.
• 13 place plastic wrap on sauce to prevent formation of skin.
• 14 cool in cold water bath and store in freezer in ziplock bags for later use, or keep warm over warm water bath for use in dishes being currently prepared.
• 15 to make soup using bechamel base: melt margarine in large saucepan.
• 16 saute onion, pepper and celery seed until soft but not brown.
• 17 meanwhile, heat half and half in a separate pan.
• 18 add salt, ground peppers and thyme leaves to the sauteed vegetables.
• 19 stir and cook over medium heat until well blended.
• 20 whisking, gradually add warm half and half to 1 1/2 cups of warm bechamel sauce.
• 21 whisk until thoroughly blended.
• 22 add this mixture to the sauteed vegetables and seasonings.
• 23 stir and heat through over medium burner, but do not boil.
• 24 if necessary, use additional warm half and half to adjust consistency.
• 25 this is the base for a delicious creamy soup.
• 26 to finish your soup, add two cups of your choice from the following ingredients: diced, cooked ham (turkey ham or sliced lunch meat ham may be used) diced, cooked turkey or chicken diced, cooked potatoes.
• 27 heat through taking care not to boil.
• 28 may be eaten over rice, or as a main course soup dish.