Menu Monday: Succotash Sausage Soup

Fall is here! Or maybe it was just for the weekend, we will see. Either way, this very gray and rainy Sunday was the perfect day for a hot bowl of soup. Sometimes I prematurely introduce the flavors of fall into my kitchen, forcing down hot chili and pumpkin pancakes on lingering summer days. Not this year- I have practiced great restraint and am thrilled to see the weather rewarding me for it.

Also, I thought it might be a good idea to let you in on some of the ways I think about and approach food. I’m not a recipe follower, per se. I attempt to meet the fancy of my family's taste buds. My hope is that you will attempt these scrumptious recipes and adapt them to the liking's of the hungry bellies around your table. Substitute meat for tofu, or veggie stock for chicken stock, even swap out the variety of veggies you want. Omit and add whatever sounds good to you or suits your dietary restrictions. That's how we do it in our house. 

Noteworthy point: I’m not afraid of canned goods (after all, they are goods!) or some moderately processed foods. Granted, we all have different definitions of what is “moderately processed”, but the point is, sometimes I cook 100% from scratch and other times I don’t. We eat meat and are not gluten free, dairy free or basically any kind of “free” for that matter. Sometimes I splurge, like how I sautéed the veggies in butter for this recipe, and sometimes I modify with healthier ingredients. Usually that depends on my mood and how snug or loose my jeans are fitting for the day. Without further ado, Succotash Sausage Soup! (Recipe adapted from "300 Sensational Soups" by Carla Snyder & Meredith Deeds)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 lb kielbasa sausage cut into thin half moons (we used turkey kielbasa)
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tbsp flower (we use whole wheat)
• 1 tbsp fresh or ground thyme 
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups lima beans, frozen or canned
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can cream style corn
• 1 can white corn, or fresh!
• 1/2 cup whipping cream (i omitted this)

My ingredient additions:

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 russet potato (i have to add hearty ingredients wherever I can for the sake of my husband's larger than life appetite)
• 2 cups extra stock
• top it off with a dollop of sour cream and the famous ingredient, green onions!

Directions:
1. In large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, sausage, leeks and red pepper; saute until vegetables are softened and sausage is browned. Sprinkle with flower and thyme, saute 2 more minutes.
2. Gradually whisk in stock. Add lima beans, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, stirring often. Add cream style corn and corn kernels; simmer for ten minutes or until lima beans are softened. Stir in cream. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer at least ten more minutes.

Serve it up with a dense, dark beer and you have yourself something good. My husband indulged in this local Minneapolis brew he received as a gift. I stole a few sips and savored the flavor. Just three months until I can enjoy a brew of my own. I. can't. wait!!! My intended plan was to pair the soup with some cornbread muffins (the soup is slightly smoky and the muffins slightly sweet) but my plan failed miserably when I didn't have the necessary ingredients. So I did something you should never do, I found the Bisquick and made drop biscuits. It tasted like paper. Plain Awful! No one likes to slice and dice with a glass of wine and some Amos Lee for hours in the kitchen more than me, but sometimes the day does not allow for hours of cooking. That's part of what makes this soup so great. I started the soup at 6pm last night, and we were done eating by 7:30.

Also noteworthy: My friend Jenni just started a blog and she is launching a meal planning series. She is an AMAZING cook. Like makes you giddy to think about an invitation to her dinner table kind of amazing cook. You can follow her here.

With Love,
L