Soup Season

This is the time of year we pull out our favorite soup recipes and I thought you might like them, too.   Here's a quick list of some of our best ones.

Cheesy Chicken Pepper Soup - we had this one with leftover turkey.  Yum!!

Spicy Pumpkin Soup - just a hint of Indian spices and good with any winter squash!

We love this Zuppa Toscana - a great way to cook up those hearty winter greens.

The last soup is one of my favorites!  Bean Soup with Bacon, Chicken and Pesto.  Pesto is guaranteed to perk up cold days and this soup is another great way to use up leftover turkey.

Dehydrated Potatoes

I picked up this bag of dehydrated potatoes earlier this year at Freedom Country Store in Worthington, Indiana.  And then I saved them for soup season.

Which is finally here!  

I figured we try them in soup and if they work, then we can dehydrate our own potatoes next year.  

They're kinda pretty.

I had the girls make up a batch of our Zuppa Toscana and throw these babies in the broth.   We generally start soup earlier in the day and let it cook for a while before dinner.  Delish!

Here's the recipe for Zuppa Toscana.  [This pic is from that post.]   If you use dehydrated potatoes, then drop them into the stock and water when you would have cooked the fresh potatoes and cook them up until soft.    

Zuppa Toscana

Soup, glorious, soup!    I've got another terrific soup recipe for you to add to your lineup.  This time it's a spicy blend of sausage, garlic, potato, kale and parmesan.

It's a nice change from chicken soup.

Plus, it has greens in it.    Greens are good for you.    And they're pretty.  

Zuppa Toscana
www.rurification.com

• 1 lb ground sausage, as spicy as you like
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups water
• 4 potatoes peeled and cubed [or more, if you like]
• fresh kale, torn up into small pieces.  [8-16 oz.]  or spinach.  
• 1 cup milk, half and half or cream
• grated parmesan cheese

Cook up the sausage, breaking it apart into small pieces.

In a bigger pot, boil the potatoes in the chicken stock and water.

When the sausage is almost cooked, drain off some of the grease and add the onion and garlic.    Cook until soft.    Add flour and mix well.   Add 2 cups of the chicken stock out of the potato pot and stir and cook until it begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.   It's a roux!

When the potatoes are cooked through, add the sausage roux to the bigger pot and stir well.   Add the kale and cook until soft.   Add the milk and stir well.   Heat through and serve with grated parmesan cheese and a nice crusty bread. 

Notes:   You can make this spicier by adding a teaspoon or so of red pepper flakes when you cook the onions, or by using really spicy sausage.    Also, if you can't find kale [or don't like it], use spinach instead.   It's just as green, just as good for you and just as pretty.