Norpor Potato Festival Soup

About a hundred years ago some potato farmers were having trouble getting all of their crops in before the snows came.  Winter was severe in Norpor and once it started to snow it didn’t stop for four to six months.  So after a particularly bad harvest the farmers met with the Mayor of Norpor to demand he help them.  He asked for time to think, the snows had just fallen but he promised a solution by the thaw.

Over the course of that long winter the Mayor met with many people and spent as much time as he could on the problem.  The only time he stopped was during the Ice Tide Festival.  Many people thought that this was when he got his idea.  Ice Tide was the mid-winter feast celebrated by all of the North Kingdom and many people on the northern coast of Dalron.  Everyone looked forward to it and in many cities the celebration lasted for days.

Two weeks after Ice Tide, the Mayor held a meeting with the farmers, as well as many merchants.  He explained to them his solution and all of them saw the value in it and liked it.  He proposed a potato harvest festival. It would be held on the day of the last full moon before the normal start of the snow, but only if all of the farmers told the mayor their crops were in.  The farmers liked this idea because they too would look forward to it, partly for the entertainment but also they saw right away the merchants would need to buy some potatoes to serve to the festival goers.  The merchants liked it because they saw the potential to sell things to the laborers right after they got paid.

Since the Festival started all those years ago many potato dishes where brought to public attention that had been only served in private homes until then.  I got the recipe for one of the more popular soups at the fair and wrote it down in hopes that I could find someone to cook it for me.

½ Cup chopped bacon
½ Cup diced onion
4 Cups diced potatoes (peeled or unpeeled your choice)
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup instant mashed potatoes
½ stick butter
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
½ Tablespoon black pepper (or to taste)
6 Cups milk
3 cups water

- In a large (6quart or larger) melt butter on mid low heat
- Add in onions and bacon salt pepper and garlic
- Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes stirring at least once every five minutes
- The onions should be well cooked and the bacon should be brown.
- Add the potatoes, milk and water increase to mid high heat
- Bring to a soft boil and reduce to mid
- Slowly stir in cheese
- Then stir in instant mashed potatoes
- Let simmer for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft
- Optional serve with some a sprinkling of cheese bacon and chives

From the diary of Tran Goldenleafe

Visit the home of Talona The Red http://www.freepiratesforhire.com

January 5, 2012: The Epub version of my book is now onsale, also in celebration discounted the price of the paperback for a limited time.

December 8, 2011: My first novel is available for sale on Lulu, also uploaded the 3 recipe stories I edited.

October 3, 2011: Due to the impending publication of my first novel, I will be taking some time off from book 2 to edit all of the stories on here. No dates will be changed unless a significant rewrite occurs and then it will be marked: new date (old date).