Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Soup

This lightly-creamed soup is truly special. It works as comfort food for a casual soup & salad dinner or a starter course for an elegant dinner party. On our recent trip to the US, my SIL gave me the recipe. She said her mother had copied it from a cookbook & did not recall the source. I wish I knew who to acknowledge & thank for this classy taste sensation. I hope you try this & enjoy it as we did. (PLS READ NOTES shown as steps 7, 8 & 9 of prep)... *Edited To Add* This recipe was revised to include the addition of garlic & Old Bay Seasoning.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 8-10 oz servings

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups onions (yellow or white variety, finely chopped)
• 2  garlic cloves (crushed & finely minced)
• 3⁄4 cup fresh dill (chopped)
• 1  tablespoon  Old Bay Seasoning (more as desired)
• 2  medium tomatoes (ripe, seeded & chopped)
• 8  ounces smoked salmon (finely chopped)
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8  cups water
• 2  cups fresh spinach (10 oz pkg, stems removed & leaves finely chopped)
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1⁄3 cup vodka
• 2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•  fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
•  snipped fresh chives (optional garnish)

Directions

1. Melt butter in med-size stock pot over med heat. Add onion + garlic & saute till onions are soft, 10-15 minutes.
2. Stir in dill, Old Bay Seasoning, tomatoes & smoked salmon. Cook 3 minutes. Then add flour & cook 1 min more.
3. Gradually stir in water & heat to a soft boil. Reduce heat & simmer uncovered over med-low heat for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in spinach & simmer 5 more minutes.
5. Stir in cream cheese (1 oz at a time) over low heat, allowing ea bit to melt into the soup.
6. When all the cream cheese has been added & the soup is smooth, stir in the vodka & lemon juice. Taste for seasonings & serve immediately.
7. NOTES: I entered this recipe as given to me & made a half recipe w/2 chgs in my trial version.
8. I left out the vodka (none in the house!), subbed dry white wine & frankly doubt I will ever use the vodka. I pd homage to a DH pers pref & subbed diced broccoli florets for the spinach. I pd homage to 1 of my own by adding 4 oz baby shrimp.
9. Pers pref are often at the heart of any success a recipe enjoys. I found this soup in need of salt, but DH did not. He found the lemon juice a bit excessive, but I did not. Bottom line is tasting for your pers pref is advised.