If you’re from the Maritimes or have spent much time here, you’ve probably had hodgepodge. It’s a typical early summer soup made with new potatoes and carrots, green and yellow beans, and shelled peas all finished with cream and butter. Hodgepodge celebrates the early harvest of the year in the form of a savoury and satiating meal.
We crave hodgepodge all year round but we haven’t seen a recipe that utilizes this simple preparation to suit other seasons. This comfort meal deserves to be on our tables during the cold winter months, which is why we’ve adapted our hodgepodge recipe to incorporate winter vegetables like squash, celeriac, rutabaga and kohlrabi. We were also inspired by a german preparation of kohlrabi which includes a delicious cream sauce with a dash of nutmeg. It’s delicious, and we hope you give it a try!
Winter Hodgepodge
Ingredients
- 8 slices of bacon
- 1 cup leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
- 1-2 cups potatoes, cubed
- 3 cups winter veggies such as carrots, squash, celeriac, rutabaga or kohlrabi, cubed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Herbs or freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Set aside to cool and remove bacon fat leaving 1-2 tablespoons.
- Fry leeks in your sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. If using a sauce pan, transfer your leeks to a large pot. Add potatoes to your pot or dutch oven and cover with water with room for your other veggies. You can always add more water later, but you don’t want to pour any water off because it’s going to create a lovely flavour with the leeks. Season with salt.
- Turn heat onto high and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-high heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are about half way done, about 5 minutes.
- Add other vegetables except the peas and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender and cook to your liking, about 5 more minutes.
- Add the frozen peas and remove from heat. Add cream and butter. Taste to adjust seasoning and add a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper if you know what’s good for you. Finish with fresh herbs or a dash of freshly grated nutmeg.
- Ladle into bowls to serve and add crumbed bacon and parmesan cheese.
Thanks. I will definitely try this…am so in love with spring, early summer hodgepodge.
I will be making this recipe.It looks delicious.Such a treat to be thinking of Hodge Podge.
My sister-in-law makes a great hodge podge, but I think I might have to treat here to this. Sounds delicious.
Can you freeze summer hodge podge for winter ?