Sausage, Kale, White Bean Soup

I was looking for something warm and hearty to make last Sunday as the first truly cold days of winter started to bite. The way the yam broke down brought a wonderfully silky texture and an unexpected creaminess.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried great northern beans – soaked and prepared
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium leeks – halved, rinsed and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic – chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 quarts of water
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary – chopped
• Fresh ground black pepper – to taste
• 2 medium yams – peeled, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1 pound hot cased sausage – sliced into 1 inch pieces
• ½ pound kale – stems and center ribs removed, torn into bite sized pieces

Directions
Pour beans into a stove top pot, cover with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand uncovered for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans in a colander.

In a separate 8 quart stock pot, sweat leeks and garlic in olive oil on low for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened (being careful to keep low so the garlic does not burn).

Add rinsed beans, chicken broth, water, rosemary, pepper, and yams to the stock pot. Bring up to a boil, then lower and simmer for 50 minutes.

While your soup in simmering, sauté sausage slices in batches until browned and fully cooked. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.

Once your yams and beans are tender, add the sausage and kale. Stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, let simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Sausage and Peppers

I made this dish for a Memorial Day party earlier this year – everyone loved it and there were no leftovers to be had. Thank you to Simply Recipes, the original can be found here: link

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage – sliced 1 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 bell peppers (red, green, yellow) – sliced
• 1 large yellow onion – sliced
• 1 – 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 bottle of beer (optional)
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot. Add the sliced sausage and stir occasionally until browned on all sides. Add in peppers and onion and sauté until they begin to get tender.

Add the tomatoes, and remaining ingredients and bring the mixture up a simmer. Then turn the heat to low, stirring occasionally until the flavors have melded to taste – about 30- 40 minutes.

Serve over your favorite pasta or by itself.

Jambalaya

This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa – all I did to modify was to remove the butter. With so many fresh favors in this dish, I promise you won’t miss a thing. The original can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/shrimp-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound kielbasa or andouille sausage – sliced
• 1 pound smoked ham – cubed
• 1 medium onion – diced
• 1 cup celery – diced
• 1 green bell pepper – diced
• 1 red bell pepper – diced
• 1 cup tomato – seeded and diced
• 3 garlic cloves – minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper – seeded and minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme – chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups long-grain rice – rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
• ½ cup scallions – chopped  
• ¾ cup fresh parsley – chopped
• ¼  cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp – cleaned with tails removed

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the scallions, parsley, lemon juice and shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.