Tried Something New Today!

[ProfessorGAC]

Cream of Potato Soup with leeks, mushrooms & crispy bacon.
No recipe. The winging it is the fun for me.
I just boiled cubed potatoes until cooked.
While that was happening I caramelized onion in olive oil. At about the ½ point I added the leeks & minced garlic. Just the onions were browning in added the mushrooms, the added 5 ounces of sherry. Reduced until the liquid was nearly a syrup.
Added chicken stock, and brought to a boil again. During that I added salt, paprika, red pepper flakes, white pepper, allspice & cinnamon.
Took ⅔s of the potatoes and pureed them in a 2:1 mix of heavy cream & 2% milk.
Added those to the veggies & stock. The added the rest of the cooked chunk potatoes.
Finally, added stock until the consistency was of a soup, not a gravy.
Salted little by little until flavors maxed out. Then added a half capful of vanilla extract.
When everything was hot, I added a half stick of butter.
Just before serving, I added the crispy bacon, scallion tops, and chopped parsley.
My wife couldn't stop eating it. It was pretty darned good, if I say so myself.

[amerikat]

1. I rarely use recipes.

Yes winging it is always more fun.

[Warpy]

9. I can't really SEE recipes any more

but even when I could, the ex would complain bitterly that I never made anything the same way twice. Oh, he didn't have preferences one version to the next, I think he just wanted a little more predictability. He was SOL I pretty much made whatever out of whatever I had.

[Saviolo]

12. Techniques are more important than recipes!

Once you know how a thing works, you can slot in any ingredients and know how it'll come out.

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Sounds delicious!

I like to wing it when cooking, too.

[RainCaster]

3. That sounds really good!

Few small Qs:
What kind of potatoes?
Skinned or not?

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Yukon Gold & Peeled

I didn't select the potato for a reason. It's what we had in the fridge!

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Sounds really good. I'll try soon, after I restock up w/ some add'l ingredients. Thanks for the heads up.

[Duncanpup]

6. You offer takeout I'll need a quart to go

[ProfessorGAC]

7. There's Some Left

If you can get here in an hour, it's yours!

[Duncanpup]

10. Save soup for Vince

[slightlv]

8. I use recipes as a base,

and then wingit while I'm cooking the dish. So far, everything's been well-received at my house. Hubby's in awe of my being able to pick a spice or herb based on smell or "look." I learned all I know about real cooking from my Dad!

[ProfessorGAC]

11. I Started Cooking After I Retired

I think I replaced one kind of experimenting with another!