Bean and Sausage Soup

October 27, 2024 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Another “it’s soup weather” recipe, and I do love soup weather. I’ve been making this soup for years, and I’m pretty sure it was a recipe I found on a jar of Randall’s beans. I must tell you, a jar of Randall’s beans is a great grocery find. They are perfect for soup, refried beans, and baked beans. Randalls do the soaking and cooking for us…so easy to use and delicious to eat. Beans are a great source of plant protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and they’re low in fat. As an added benefit, beans are great colon cleansers. 🙂 All beans are considered legumes, but not all legumes are considered beans. For instance peanuts are not really nuts, they are actually legumes…edible seeds that grow in pods. Personally, beans and nuts are more appetizing words than legumes, so bean soup it is.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound smoked sausage of your choice

6 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of diced onion

1 cup of diced celery

2-3 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste

28 oz of diced tomatoes

48 oz jar Randall’s mixed beans

kale or spinach (optional)

Prep all of the veggies and cut the sausage into half moons.

Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a large Dutch oven and sweat the veggies for a couple minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme.

Add the sausage, the tomatoes, and the broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30-45 minutes. Drain the jar of beans and add them to the soup pot.

If desired, add a few handfuls of chopped kale or spinach.

Continue to simmer for 10 minutes or so until the greens are wilted, and the beans are heated.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy. Delicious!

NOTE: Great served with some crusty bread and a bit of fresh grated parmigiana. I used Michigan smoked sausage from Dearborn, but feel free to use your favorite. You can also add additional vegetables like diced carrots or potatoes.

If you want to kick up the flavor a bit, add some red pepper flakes.

Beef Barley Soup

October 2, 2024 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Fall is here and that means it’s soup weather in Michigan and, I’m sure, all over the Midwest. Last week I made beef barley, one of my husband’s favorites. I used my pressure cooker because I think the cooking process intensifies the flavors and definitely makes the meat melt in your mouth tender. An insta-pot also functions as a pressure cooker and a Dutch oven on top of the stove would work also. This is the kind of soup that most of us have all the ingredients for in our kitchens. I used a package of cubed chuck and, after searing, I cut it into even smaller pieces. The thing about soup is there are guidelines but no hard and fast rules. Make it your own. Don’t like some of the veggies, substitute. We have a good friend who won’t eat anything with bay leaves, so leave the bay leaves out. Whatever adjustments you make, when it’s done you’ll be enjoying a nice, hot bowl of soup with a hunk of crusty bread or some croutons, and you’ll be happy you made it!

Ingredients:

2 pounds (give or take) of cubed beef

olive oil for searing

1 large onion diced

1 or 2 russet potatoes peeled and diced

3 medium carrots diced

1 cup of diced baby portabellos

3 ribs of celery diced

6 garlic cloves minced

2 bay leaves

Bundle of fresh thyme

2 T tomato paste

2 pints of diced tomatoes

4 cups of beef or mushroom stock (or a combination of both)

1 T soy sauce

3/4 cup of barley

Wash and dice all of your vegetables.

Set your pressure cooker to browning. Season your beef with salt and pepper. Add some olive oil to the pan and sear the meat in batches. Once all of the meat has been seared cut it into smaller pieces and set aside along with all the meat juices.

Add all of the veggies to the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Turn the pressure cooker off. Return the beef and the juices to the pan. Add the bay leaves, tomato paste, tomatoes, broth, and the soy sauce. Use kitchen twine to secure the thyme and add to the pot. Secure the cover and process on high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the pot to naturally release for 15 minutes, and then carefully release the remainder of the steam.

Because I had quick barley I added it after releasing the pressure. Set the pot to simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the barley is tender.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy.

The soup will taste even better on day two!

NOTES: Frequently recipes will call for 1 T of tomato paste and you’re left with the majority of a can. I put the remainder of the tomato paste in an ice tray and when it’s frozen I transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. Each cube is approximately 1 T of tomato paste. No waste and handy for your next recipe.

Roasted Tomato Soup

September 14, 2023 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

It’s tomato season in Michigan. The time of year when, instead of being an ornamental addition to a salad or sandwich, tomatoes actually have flavor. Even better when eaten right out of the garden. Unfortunately we live in a heavily wooded area with inadequate sun for gardening so I have to rely on friends and farmers markets for fresh tomatoes. My friend Jane has a small raised garden, and she shared some of her bounty with me. It’s what I used to make this delicious roasted tomato soup. I had also visited a local farm the morning I made the soup, and I bought Roma tomatoes for canning, some gorgeous onions, and garlic. I used one of the very large, sweet onions and an entire head of garlic for the soup. The soup is easy to make, comes together in no time, and is easily modified based on personal preference. A great way to not only enjoy something delicious, but also to get your Vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants in. And your kitchen will smell great!

Ingredients:

20-25 Roma tomatoes halved

4 T olive oil divided

1 large onion chopped (1 to 1 1/2 cups)

1 head of garlic unpeeled but separated into cloves

1/2 cup packed fresh basil

2 T fresh thyme

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I use Better than Boullion)

1/2 cup half-n-half (optional, but a nice addition)

1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on the baking sheet and nestle the garlic cloves in among the tomatoes. Drizzle with 2 T of olive oil.

Sprinkle with a little salt and roast for 45-50 minutes. While the tomatoes are roasting caramelize the chopped onion in 2 T of olive oil on your stovetop over medium heat, low and slow until they are tender and a light golden brown.

Once the onions have caramelized and the tomatoes are roasted, combine them in a large bowl or Dutch oven. Squeeze the garlic from the cloves and add the basil and thyme to the tomatoes and onions.

Using an immersion blender purée until you have a nice smooth consistency. Add the broth and return to the stove over medium heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese (and half-n-half if using).

Time for a little sample. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Lunch is ready.

I garnished ours with additional Parmesan cheese and croutons for crunch. Enjoy!

NOTES: I used Romas, but any kind of tomato would work. The amount of onion and garlic is based on personal taste.

Garnishes can include a dollop of pesto or crème fraiche, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cheddar cheese if you’re not a fan of parm.

The soup freezes well and can also serve as a sauce over vegetable crepes or baked chicken. Happy tomato season.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

June 8, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Earlier this week I made stuffed peppers and there were a few left over. While we love leftovers, and truthfully, sometimes leftovers taste even better than they did the first time around, this time I decided to repurpose them. We have had some pretty chilly May days and soup sounded perfect so I turned the peppers into soup. Definitely an easy dish. Earlier this year I posted my recipe for stuffed peppers. I use ground pork and rice, lots of onion and garlic, and tomatoes. Any recipe that you use for peppers would work in this soup.

Ingredients:

2-3 leftover stuffed peppers

1 pint of diced tomatoes

2 cups of beef broth (I use Better than Boullion)

2 T olive oil

1 cup rough diced sweet onion

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

basil and oregano

1 T brown sugar

1 pint green beans

Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and add the diced onion. Cook for two to three minutes stirring occasionally until the onion are tender but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Rough chop the peppers and add them to the pot.

Add the tomatoes, brown sugar and broth.

Stir in the green beans and fresh herbs.

Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. All of the ingredients have already been cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little shredded cheese. I used Asiago but you can use any of your favorites. Perfect on a chilly evening with some good, crusty bread.

NOTE: You can substitute corn, diced zucchini, or frozen peas for the green beans. If you have more leftover peppers increase the broth and tomato portions. Enjoy your leftovers!

Oxtail Soup

October 20, 2014December 5, 2014 / featherheadlady / 3 Comments

It’s soup weather! Soup is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It’s what you’re supposed to eat when you’re not feeling well. It makes your house smell good. It’s something you can add the leftovers from your refrigerator to. Soup recipes are fun to modify to suit your personal tastes. Add this vegetable. Don’t add this one. I had some nice looking oxtails from my favorite organic farm and decided they were the perfect beginning for a pot of soup. It’s what was for dinner last night. And it’s probably what’s for dinner tomorrow night.

Oxtails – about 2 pounds

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup flour

salt and pepper

2 T tomato paste

1 large onion rough diced

2 stalks celery rough diced

5-6 garlic cloves

1 quart diced tomatoes

4 cups beef or mushroom broth

2 bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

2 carrots thin sliced

1 cup diced potatoes

1 medium rutabaga peeled and diced

1 cup fresh green beans cut in 1 inch pieces

Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle. Add flour and salt and pepper and oxtails to a zip lock bag and shake to coat. Brown meat on all sides, remove and set aside.

Add onion, garlic, and celery to the kettle and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste.

Add tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, thyme and fresh ground pepper and salt. Return the oxtails to the pan. Simmer for 3-3 1/2 hours. Remove oxtails and add carrots, potatoes, rutabaga, and beans. Additional celery and onion if you’d like.

Remove the meat from the bones and add that back into the soup. Oxtails are not very meaty but they provide a great flavor to the soup. Simmer for approximately 1 hour until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve up with some crusty bread and you have a perfect hearty dinner. I didn’t have any good bread so I made baking powder biscuits but crusty bread or rolls would have been better.

You can add other root vegetables to this soup like turnips or parsnips. If you add fresh or frozen peas add them toward the end of the cooking process.

TIP: So many recipes call for 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. I open cans of tomato paste, put them in the freezer for about an hour, open the other end and push the tomato paste out. I slice the paste and put each section into a zip lock snack bag. I always have tomato paste handy.