A hearty and healthy fall soup made with early fall vegetables, including chopped roasted New Mexico red chile. This soup starts and ends with bacon, but if you are vegetarian, you can omit the bacon and still have a great tasting soup.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information, substitutions, and links.
Cut the pieces of bacon in half (crosswise) and fry in a soup pot until crisp.
When the bacon is crispy, transfer it to a papertowel. Set aside to be used as a topping for the soup.
From the soup pot, remove all but about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings.*
Reduce heat to medium low and add the three onions (leeks, shallots, onion). Sweat the onions, deglazing the bottom of the pot as the onions release their juices. Sweat for about 15 minutes or until onion is soft. (It will also become brown from the deglazing.)
Add 4 cups of hot stock, followed by the carrot and potatoes. If the vegetables aren't floating in the pot, add more liquid.
Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the roasted chile/sweet pepper and 2 tsp. of vinegar. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about another 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and taste. Adjust for salt and acid if necessary. Serve or let cool for a couple of hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Most soups get better with time and this one is no exception.
To serve, top each bowl of soup with crumbled bacon (or another topping) and a chopped fresh herb of choice (optional). Serve with a chunk of crusty artisan bread and enjoy!
There are no exact amounts when making a soup. Use your own judgment as to what you consider small, medium and large.
If you want a vegetarian soup, omit the bacon and steps 1 and 2 of instructions. In step 3, use 2 Tbsp. olive oil instead of the bacon drippings.
Transfer the reserve bacon drippings to a ceramic container for other uses.
Use enough liquid to float the vegetables. You might need to add more as it simmers in order to finish cooking the potatoes.
Roasted red chile - This soup works best with a minimum amount of spiciness IMO; therefore, I purchase mild fresh red chiles just for dishes such as this. If you want it spicy, then use medium red.
If you don't have fresh red chile, then substitute with a roasted, colored sweet bell pepper (red, yellow or orange). They work just as well as the chiles.
If using fresh herbs, double the amounts given in the recipe for the dried herbs.
Salt - Taste for salt after adding the roasted red chile and then again once the potatoes have cooked. Adjust salt content for your taste; however, remember, you will be topping each serving with bacon bits or another salty topping.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen