Now that we have had our first snow in Pittsburgh and I have started driving with the heater on, it's that time of the year - Soup season has officially begun. What is more satiating giving you that (literally) warm and fuzzy feeling in your tummy when you enjoy the hot bowl of soup sitting in your couch in sweats while glancing at the golden leaves and bare branches? I came across this recipe on Whole Foods' website. I love greens, beans and sausages, so had to give it a try. Anthony pointed out that since it called for those three ingredients and onions, the recipe looked a little bland. I agreed. The man knows his soups. Fear not, I added a few things that changed the landscape. Not the one outside. Just the one in the pot.
1 lb chicken chorizo (or any other uncooked sausage)
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and coarsely torn (Swiss chard might work as well)
1 can cannelloni/navy/northern beans (3.5 cups)
1/2 yellow onion sliced thin
1 cup celery sliced thin
1/2 cup carrots sliced thin
4 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 box (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp canola oil
generous dash(es) of red pepper flakes (optional)
generous dash(es) of coarsely ground black pepper
salt to taste
Heat the oil in the pot in which you want to make the soup. Add the sausages and brown all sides in high heat. I had trouble browning all sides, because the sausages curled up. Once the sausages are sufficiently browned in most sides, turn the heat down to medium and cook, flipping occasionally for about 10 minutes.
Remove the sausages from the stove and in the oil left behind, add the onions. Cook on medium low heat. You want the onions to be nicely caramelized so that the natural sugars are released. When you see the onions turning golden brown but not crispy add the chopped garlic. Saute for about a minute until fragrant. Add the celery and the carrots. Stirring occasionally, cook until the celery looks translucent. These are your aromatic vegetables that will give a big fat oomph to the taste and fragrance of the soup. (All those Food Network watching taught me about aromatic veggies. Mom don't say watching TV won't teach me anything good!)
While the veggies are cooking on the stove, take care of a few background prep steps. Rinse the beans with water. Puree about a cup of the beans with a cup stock. In a dry pan roast the cumin until dark brown and fragrant. Remove the cumin from the pan, otherwise they would over-roast and char. Also, slice the sausages to 1/3" discs or thicker or thinner depending on your preference. Just be careful when stirring if you make them thinner. You don't want to break the little discs.
Once the veggies are done, it took about 5 minutes for me, add the black pepper, crushed red pepper, cumin and sausage to the pot. Stir to mix. After about a minute or two, add the whole beans. Hold onto the puree for now. Cook for about two more minutes until heated through.Add the rest of the stock, stir and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Taste for salt and pepper and add the kale and the pureed beans. Stir well to mix. Let the soup simmer for a few minutes, until the kale is wilted. Check for consistency. If you think the soup is a little liquid-y, like I did, keep simmering for a little longer. Kale survives heat well unlike spinach, according to Rachel Ray, so cooking a little longer is just fine.
This soup is totally soul-satisfying. It has a variety of textures - the leafy kale, the creamy beans, the deliciously fragrant broth from the garlic, cumin, aromatic veggies and chorizo. While simmering, it smelled so good that even though this was supposed to a make-ahead meal for the following week, I just had to have a bit. I was stuffed from dinner (seared scallops, yum!) already, but I still ooh-ed and aah-ed with every spoon. And it's so healthy! You get your meat, your fiber and your veggies. Get a piece of crusty bread like ciabatta or french baguette to sop up the delicious broth. It's simple and hearty.
At your face cream soup!
1 lb chicken chorizo (or any other uncooked sausage)
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and coarsely torn (Swiss chard might work as well)
1 can cannelloni/navy/northern beans (3.5 cups)
1/2 yellow onion sliced thin
1 cup celery sliced thin
1/2 cup carrots sliced thin
4 large cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 box (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp canola oil
generous dash(es) of red pepper flakes (optional)
generous dash(es) of coarsely ground black pepper
salt to taste
Heat the oil in the pot in which you want to make the soup. Add the sausages and brown all sides in high heat. I had trouble browning all sides, because the sausages curled up. Once the sausages are sufficiently browned in most sides, turn the heat down to medium and cook, flipping occasionally for about 10 minutes.
Remove the sausages from the stove and in the oil left behind, add the onions. Cook on medium low heat. You want the onions to be nicely caramelized so that the natural sugars are released. When you see the onions turning golden brown but not crispy add the chopped garlic. Saute for about a minute until fragrant. Add the celery and the carrots. Stirring occasionally, cook until the celery looks translucent. These are your aromatic vegetables that will give a big fat oomph to the taste and fragrance of the soup. (All those Food Network watching taught me about aromatic veggies. Mom don't say watching TV won't teach me anything good!)
While the veggies are cooking on the stove, take care of a few background prep steps. Rinse the beans with water. Puree about a cup of the beans with a cup stock. In a dry pan roast the cumin until dark brown and fragrant. Remove the cumin from the pan, otherwise they would over-roast and char. Also, slice the sausages to 1/3" discs or thicker or thinner depending on your preference. Just be careful when stirring if you make them thinner. You don't want to break the little discs.
Once the veggies are done, it took about 5 minutes for me, add the black pepper, crushed red pepper, cumin and sausage to the pot. Stir to mix. After about a minute or two, add the whole beans. Hold onto the puree for now. Cook for about two more minutes until heated through.Add the rest of the stock, stir and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Taste for salt and pepper and add the kale and the pureed beans. Stir well to mix. Let the soup simmer for a few minutes, until the kale is wilted. Check for consistency. If you think the soup is a little liquid-y, like I did, keep simmering for a little longer. Kale survives heat well unlike spinach, according to Rachel Ray, so cooking a little longer is just fine.
This soup is totally soul-satisfying. It has a variety of textures - the leafy kale, the creamy beans, the deliciously fragrant broth from the garlic, cumin, aromatic veggies and chorizo. While simmering, it smelled so good that even though this was supposed to a make-ahead meal for the following week, I just had to have a bit. I was stuffed from dinner (seared scallops, yum!) already, but I still ooh-ed and aah-ed with every spoon. And it's so healthy! You get your meat, your fiber and your veggies. Get a piece of crusty bread like ciabatta or french baguette to sop up the delicious broth. It's simple and hearty.
At your face cream soup!
