It’s a fine time to make a big, hot, steaming pot of soup, and you probably have the main ingredients stashed in your freezer from the last big feast!
This soup started with a good bit of leftover baked ham (be certain to remove any leftover bits of clove from the meat) and, instead of boxed chicken or veggie stock, I used a stock made from leftover corn cobs I had also stashed in the freezer after our last barbecue of the season. Double bonus leftover points!
A roux and white sauce finish the soup, but if you’re trying to stay away from wheat, a bit of cornstarch stirred into a bit of warm water, then added to the milk will work just fine. Or, skip the roux and white sauce entirely, the soup is fine on its own, and mebbe sprinkle a bit of cheese over each bowl when you serve it.
INGREDIENTS
Soup:
•2 qt corn or veggie stock
•3 lb baby yellow potatoes, quartered
•1-1/2 cup diced onion
•1 cup diced celery
•2 cups cubed, cooked ham
•1 tsp seasoned salt
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 tsp Tellicherry pepper
•1/2 tsp mixed peppercorns, lightly crushed
•1 tbsp sherry peppers sauce
•Fresh parsley, chopped
Roux/White Sauce:
•8 tbsp butter
•8 tbsp flour
•1 cup milk
•1 cup water
First, the soup…
Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and corn stock in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir in the salt, peppers, and sherry peppers sauce and continue to simmer for another ten minutes or so.
Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed, then keep warm.
Make the roux by melting the butter over medium heat, then whisking in the flour until it is well blended in and the roux is a rich, golden brown color.
Sl-o-o-o-wly add the combined milk and water, whisking after each addition.
Continue to stir over low heat until the sauce is thick and smooth.
Here’s were I made a slight error…
My white sauce was perfect, and perfectly smooth, but I should have taken one, extra step and strained, then whisked some of the 
soup broth into the white sauce before adding it to the soup pot. It would’ve been much easier to incorporate the sauce into the soup without maneuvering around all those bits of ham and veggies.
Still and all, a perfectly fine soup.
Stir the thickened soup until heated through, taste again for seasoning, and add a nice bit of freshly chopped parsley, with more at the table for folk who like fresh parsley (like me).
We had ours with some fresh-from-teh-oven rolls and a bit of Wisconsin’s finest butter on the side.
A nice dinner for a cold and damp night.