One Great . . . easy soup

Each week in One Great, I feature a simple but unusual recipe. It might be a shortcut appetizer, a quick way to try a new vegetable, or an easy dish to add to your weeknight repertoire.

For the next month, though, One Great needs your help. As you may have seen in this blog, my kitchen is undergoing a massive renovation. While I've set up a field kitchen under the drop clothes, and I have many friends who have offered me the use of their stoves, my ability to cook will be a bit truncated for the next month or so.

So I'm turning to you guys: Do you have a great, short recipe to share? It can be something from any category, from holiday favorites to easy weeknight entrees or side dishes. It just has to be fairly short, easy to understand -- and tested. Email them to me at kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com, and please include your contact information so I can get back in touch in case I have questions.

In the meantime, here's one more quick one. I found it in the new Allrecipes magazine, a selection of favorites from the website allrecipes.com.

Ham & Potato Soup

From Allrecipes magazine and the editors of allrecipes.com. (If you don't have -- or use -- chicken bouillon granules, you could swap the water for chicken stock.)

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (1 3/4 pounds)
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (see note above)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

COMBINE potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water (or stock) in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

STIR in the chicken bouillon (if using) and pepper. Taste and add salt if needed.

MELT butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour with a fork and cooking, stirring constantly, until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk and continue cooking, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

STIR milk mixture into stockpot and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

YIELD: 8 servings. PER 1-CUP SERVING: 195 calories, 11g fat (6g saturated); 6g protein; 20g carbohydrates; 2g fiber; 394mg sodium; 30mg cholesterol.