Ham and Potato Soup -- The First Bowl of a Brand New Year

New Year. 2017. I stood in my kitchen at midnight with a glass of coquito and Eduardo beside me and the sound of fireworks coming through the window and I thought: another year. Another year of feeding people and loving people and standing in this kitchen and doing the only thing I have ever known how to do perfectly, which is to cook.

In Puerto Rico, New Year means eating twelve grapes at midnight — one for each month, one wish per grape. Mami taught us this tradition and I have kept it in Hartford for twenty-eight years. Sofia counted the grapes with me this year, popping them one by one as the clock struck twelve, and I wished for the same thing I wish for every year: health for my family. That is the only wish worth making. Everything else — money, success, new pots — those things come and go. Health stays or it does not, and when it does not, nothing else matters. I have learned this from working in a hospital for twenty years. Health is the wish. Always.

Eduardo fell asleep at 12:30 because Eduardo cannot stay awake past midnight under any circumstances including the end of the calendar year. I covered him with a blanket on the couch and I stayed up because I was not ready for 2016 to be over. 2016 was a good year. Not dramatic, not tragic, just good. Sofia is thriving. Miguel Jr. is about to propose to Jenny. Rosa is teaching and loving it. David is cooking his way through Brooklyn. Mami is alive in Bayamon. Eduardo is steady. The table is full. I do not ask for more than this. I have never asked for more than this.

I made the New Year Day meal today: pernil, because pernil is for every important occasion and the first day of a new year is important. Also arroz con gandules, also black-eyed peas because Eduardo mother used to make black-eyed peas for luck and even though she has been gone for fifteen years, I keep her tradition alive because traditions do not belong to one person. They belong to everyone who remembers.

Called Mami. She said, Feliz ano nuevo, Carmen. I said, Feliz ano nuevo, Mami. She said, What are your resolutions? I said, To cook more. She said, Carmen, you cook every day. I said, Then my resolution is already fulfilled. She laughed. I laughed. Seventy-nine years old and eighty years old on our next birthdays, her in Bayamon and me in Hartford, and the phone line between us is the strongest line I know. Stronger than family. Stronger than blood. The line between a mother and a daughter who both know that the only resolution worth making is to keep cooking. Keep feeding. Keep going. 2017. Here we are. Wepa.

But here’s the thing about New Year’s Day—after the pernil and the arroz con gandules and the black-eyed peas, after the phone call with Mami and all that laughing, what I wanted on January second was something quiet. Something that felt like a long exhale. Ham and potato soup is that dish for me: simple, warm, nothing to prove, just a pot on the stove and the leftover ham from the day before finding its best purpose. If my resolution is to keep cooking, this is the kind of cooking I mean—not a celebration, just a Tuesday, just feeding whoever is in the house because that is enough.

Ham and Potato Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6–8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 cups diced cooked ham (about 10 oz)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Saute the aromatics. Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and carrots and cook 2 minutes more.
2. Build the base. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute to eliminate the raw flour taste. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
3. Add potatoes and ham. Stir in the cubed potatoes, diced ham, thyme, and smoked paprika. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a fork, about 20–25 minutes.
4. Finish with milk. Stir in the whole milk and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, until the soup has thickened slightly. Do not let it boil after adding the milk.
5. Season and serve. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread or warm rolls.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 275 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 810mg