Starches, dairy, and red pepper paste soup

The immersion “stik” blender is the soup tool.  Basically you just need some flavorful mixture which you can turn into a broth.  When I was a kid my mom made a lot of pea soup.  Every time we had a ham the last dish made was a pea soup.  I didn’t care much for peas as a kid.  I didn’t really like tuna casserole for this reason.  However, when you took split peas and made a broth out of it, peas were not only tolerable but good.  With an immersion blender you can do the same with almost any starch.  Just pick a staple.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup korean roasted red pepper paste
• 1 1/2 cup rice
• 6 medium yellow potatoes
• 1 24 oz cottage cheese
• 1 16 oz greek yogurt
• 1 8 oz sour cream
• Skim milk to fill slow cooker – about 4 cups
• 1 16 oz fresh mushrooms
• 2 lbs ham

Instructions:

1. Place cottage cheese, sour cream, greek yogurt, potatoes, and red pepper paste in large slow cooker.
2. Fill with skim milk, stir to keep dairy from burning to bottom, and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Add rice cook additional hour.
4. After adding rice begin sauteing mushrooms.  Follow by heating diced ham.  I choose frying.
5. Blend contents of slow cooker with immersion blender until smooth.
6. Take a portion of ham and mushrooms.  Cover with hot broth.  Stir.  Serve.