It's time for some Maritime Hodge Podge! We’re using potatoes, carrots, beans, and green peas. All coated in a rich, creamy butter sauce that ties everything together into one comforting bowl of goodness. It’s super easy too! Cook the veggies in salted water until tender, strain (leaving some water), then add butter, cream, salt, and pepper. For the Autumn Hodge Podge version, use a broth with added meat.My take uses the traditional vegetables, butter, cream, and salted water. But adds two optional ingredients that elevate the flavors. Every family has their own version, varying in thickness and veggies added. It's really a home garden dish or a farmer's dish, and up to the cook to make everything come together. The key is tender vegetables in a buttery, creamy base. Keep some salted water for extra flavor—it makes all the difference!
Servings: 8 portions
Equipment
- 1 Stockpot
- 1 Bowl if cooking the fresh beans first and separate to hold them or when straining Broth to save for other recipes
Ingredients
- 8 C Water
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 lb Mini Potatoes - washed and sliced in half with skin left on, quarter really large ones
- 1 lb Mini Carrots - washed and left whole
- 1/2 lb Fresh Green & Yellow Beans - each, ends chopped off and cut in half or 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 C Fresh Green Peas - or more upwards to 1 cup
Hodge Podge Soup Base
- 1 C Reserved Salted Cooking Water
- 1 C Cream - 10 % (Half & Half) or heavier, can add more
- 1/2 C Butter
- 1 tsp Butter Popcorn Seasoning - optional - see notes
- To Taste Salt & Pepper Blend - or just Pepper
Salt & Pepper Blend
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- Place 8 Cups of Water into the Stockpot with 1Tbl of Sea Salt & 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar and bring to a boil over max heat. Meanwhile, prepare all the Vegetables.
- Add in Carrots, Potatoes, fresh Beans in the boiling Pot of Water. Keep it at a Boil for 13–15 minutes, or until the Potatoes are tender. Add fresh Green Peas during the last 3 minutes of boiling. For more precision over the fresh beans, add them in first to boil until the desired tenderness. Scoop them out and set aside, then add the Potatoes & Carrots to boil until tender, adding fresh peas the last 3 minutes, before straining.
- Reduce the heat to medium and strain out most of the Water, leaving behind about 1 Cup. Add Butter, Cream, Butter Popcorn seasoning (optional), and mix gently.If adding in strained canned Waxed Yellow & Green Beans, then add these here with the Butter & Cream, along with strained canned or frozen Green Peas if using.
- Bring it to just simmering or just before over medium heat, careful not to let it boil. You just want to heat it through.Remove from heat, taste and adjust the Salt & Pepper if needed before serving. If further softening is desired or to give time for the vegetables to soak up more of that creamy broth, cover and let rest 20 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with Fresh Herbs. Optionally, bring the Salt & Pepper blend to the table, so everyone can add to taste. Some Butter too, to add a dollop in the bowl to melt over the vegetables if desired. Add some Dinner Rolls to sop up the leftover liquids and enjoy!
Notes
Butter Popcorn Seasoning & Cream of Tartar: The addition of Butter Popcorn Seasoning & Cream of Tartar just hits so nice. Butter Popcorn Seasoning adds a bit of Salt and really elevates the Butter Flavors. Cream of Tartar exaggerates the Creaminess, especially so where this dish already contains both Butter & Cream.
It really elevates the Buttery & Creamy Goodness that this dish can offer with these additions. You can leave them out for the Classic version. For me, I add them in!
Canned Beans & Peas: If using canned Yellow, Green Beans & Peas, then these can be strained and added together in a bowl to add to the hodgepodge the same time the Butter & Cream are added to mix and heat through.
Perfectly Tender Vegetables: While typically Hodge Podge vegetables are added at various stages based on their cook time. Finer control can be exercised by cooking the vegetables separately, especially in the case of using Fresh Green & Yellow Beans. Add the Beans and cook until tender, scoop them out and set aside, then add your Carrots & Potatoes. To extend this even further, you can boil separately the Carrots & Potatoes just the same as the Beans, ensuring all vegetables are tender. Then combine everything back into the pot with the reserved cooking water, Butter & Cream to heat through. Entirely up to you and what yields the best results for you. This method is also useful for additional ingredients that are added, such as with the Fall Hodge Podge, where harder root vegetables are added and will require different cook times to soften.
Fall Hodge Podge: Add various meats like a Ham Bone with Ham Meat or Chicken to simmer in the water and create a broth while at the same time cooking the meat tender. Then proceed with the recipe as instructed, strain out the broth, saving it for other uses and leaving behind about 1 cup worth to make the Hodge Podge.