Entries in Soup (2)

Friday
Dec132013

Easy Sausage and Kale Soup

This cold snap in Seattle has me looking for ways to get warm and I can think of no better way than soup. I had a few items in my arsenal that looked soup worthy like kale, stock, potatoes and white beans but wanted to add a hearty component. I remembered a soup I saw on Martha Stewart's website and poked around for a few minutes until I found it. Here is her version of the Sausage and Kale Soup

This simple recipe is very versatile. You can omit the sausage or use a vegetarian version for a meatless soup. You could swap the kale for swiss chard, omit the beans or even add some crispy bacon. It is creamy from pureeing part of the potatoes and broth without the addition of heavy cream. A warm satisfying soup with minimal effort.

 

Sausage and Kale Soup

Serves 4-6 

1 onion minced

1 tablespoon plus a drizzle olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

64 oz chicken or vegetable broth 

1lb of Yukon Gold  or fingerling potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 can canellini beans drain and rinsed

1 bundle of dinosaur kale chopped - remove the large stems

12oz of chicken sausage links sliced into rounds (I love the Applegates Organic Fire Roasted Red Pepper Sausage)

Heat a large pot to medium and add 1 tablespoon of oil and onions. Cook onions until soft and translucent. About 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes - cook until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 

While soup is simmering, heat a skillet to medium high and add small drizzle of olive oil. Add the sausage and saute until slightly crispy. Remove from heat. 

Puree 1/2 of potato/broth mixture in a blender and return to remaining soup. Add beans, kale and browned sausage and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes. 

Saturday
Jul282012

Relax

It is the end of July already and I feel like summer is sliping away. Here in Seattle summer is short and unpredictable. Knowing that, people start booking their calendars way in advance which makes me feel like time is going by faster. Add that to working 6 days a week and always being on the go and about now I begin to get nervous that I am going to miss out on summer. 

I know - slow down, chill out and relax. Today I tried to do just that at least for a couple of hours. I asked my amazing friend Kalin if she would open the store for me today so I could have a couple of hours with Mr. Ramon. A friend of mine has an adorable store filled with refinished furniture, up cycled items and Etsy type finds called Persnickety's Awesomeness Emporium. I wanted to drag Mr. Ramon there to see if anything caught our eye for the house. 

The one room we are working on right now is the bedroom. Slowly but surely we are developing a theme. We found a nice pair of black bedside tables with mercury glass tops. For $40 for the pair I could not resist. 

 

To finish of our time together we decided to go to one of my favorite little spots in Seattle - Volunteer Park Cafe. Eating here in this bustling cafe always feels like home. Filled with community and conversation over local, fresh and delicious food. We showed up at 1:00pm this Saturday and breakfast was still being served along with lunch. A hard choice to make. 

Mr. Ramon started with a bowl of Matzo Soup. Delicious light broth with shredded chicken and tender carrots. The matzo ball was a "sinker" and dense and flavorful. A great soup for a summer lunch. 

I went for breakfast choosing a bacon egg panini with melted gruyere. Yum. 

This lunch left us ready for a nap. It was so nice to spend some quality time with Mr. Ramon on a summer day.