Italian Sausage & White Bean Soup

We just ate the last leftovers of this soup for lunch today and I was reminded how delicious it was.  The spicy sausage, savory homemade chicken broth, white beans, and zesty mustard greens all combine for a hearty and heart-warming bowl of soup that is a meal all in itself.  The fresh thyme adds just the right amount of herbal flavor to round out the dish, and it smells wonderful.  After a walk home in the freezing cold after watching the Bokamoso youth choir perform, it really hit the spot!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs ground hot Italian sausage (or a mixture of hot and sweet)

1 T olive oil

1 large white onion, diced

5 carrots, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t fresh thyme, roughly chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28 oz can of white cannellini beans (or other white bean)

4 cups homemade chicken broth or stock

2 cups water

1x3 inch Parmesan cheese rind

about 5 cups mustard greens, washed and torn into bite size pieces (you could also use kale)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the sausage, breaking it up as it browns.

When the sausage is done, drain it and set aside in a bowl to add later.  If more than 2 T of fat has rendered, spoon some of it out before adding the vegetables.  It is okay if there are pieces stuck to the bottom of the pot because you will deglaze later.  Leave the heat over medium and add the onion, carrot, and garlic to the pan.  Stir and add 1/2 t salt and some fresh ground black pepper.  After about 2 minutes, add the wine and stir, scraping any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Continue cooking until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes total.  In the last two minutes of cooking add the fresh thyme.

 Add the beans, broth, and water, Parmesan rind and sausage into the pot.  Bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 30 minutes.  Add the mustard greens to the pot, stir, and cook for 5-10 minutes longer.  Leave the lid off if you want to reduce the liquid.  Taste for salt and pepper.  Depending on the saltiness of your broth you may need to add 1-2 teaspoons salt.  

Serve and grate Parmesan cheese on top of each bowl.  We had this with some fresh baked black caraway bread.  So delicious on a cold winter day!

Sunday Chilli

Chilli is great in the winter because it is warm, hearty, delicious, and easy to make for a crowd.  It was an obvious choice this past weekend for Sunday football.  We always wing it when we're making chilli, just using whatever we have on hand and trying out new ideas here and there.  This one has a few unique flavors - a combination of ground lamb and ground beef, chipotles in adobo, and brewed coffee.  It adds complex flavor to the chilli without any one ingredient standing out more than the others.  The recipe made about 10 servings and we had it with rice to mellow out the spiciness.  It was so good that I think this chilli recipe is here to stay!

Ingredients:

2 T vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground chilli

1 large onion, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

2 jalapenos (including seeds if you want it spicier), finely diced

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T hot (or regular) chile powder

1 t ground cumin

1 t ground coriander 

1/2 t smoked paprika

1 T ground Mexican oregano 

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup strongly brewed coffee

4-5 cups chicken broth

1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 14 oz can red kidney beans

1 14 oz can black beans

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high.  Brown meat, breaking it up as it cooks.  Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper to the meat as it cooks. 

When the meat is done browning, drain it into a bowl.  Spoon out some of the remaining fat until there is only about 3 T remaining in the pot.  Over medium heat, saute the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno for about 8-10 minutes or until softened.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper in as the vegetables cook.  Add the garlic, chipotles in adobo, and spices/herbs and cook 2 minutes longer.

Add the meat back into the pot.  Pour in the crushed tomatoes, coffee, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes.  Drain the beans and add them to the pot and stir well to combine.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes or for several hours covered.  If you want to reduce the consistency of the chilli, simmer it with the top off until it is as thick as you like.  

Taste it to see if you need to add more salt and pepper.  Serve over rice (optional) with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.  Yum!