Smokey Farmhouse Soup

Name: Smokey Farmhouse Soup
Ingredients: 2 tbsp butter; 1 onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole; 1 large carrot, peeled and minced; 1.5 - 2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp dried rosemary; 1 tsp salt; 1 medium to large rutabaga or 2 turnips; 1 sweet potato; 2 small to medium potatoes; 5-6 cups stock, water or a combination; black pepper (to taste); 1 lb smoked sausage (like kielbasa or andouille), sliced into thick coins; a few handfuls washed and torn greens (kale, chard, collards, etc.)

Cold weather calls for soups, and this simple, hearty, smokey soup does just the trick: root vegetables get simmered and pureed with an intoxicating blend of savory spices and then beefed up with chunks of smoked sausage and curly green kale. The perfect meal after a long day full of winter chores, hopefully next to a fireplace.

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

1 large carrot, peeled and minced

1.5 - 2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp salt

1 medium to large rutabaga or 2 turnips

1 sweet potato

2 small to medium potatoes

5-6 cups stock, water or a combination

black pepper (to taste)

1 lb smoked sausage (like kielbasa or andouille), sliced into thick coins

a few handfuls washed and torn greens (kale, chard, collards, etc.)

Melt butter over medium-low heat in a large soup pot. Cook onions in the butter for 8-10 minutes, until slippery and slightly transparent. Add whole garlic cloves, minced carrot and spices, stir and cook for 2 more minutes being careful not to burn (especially in the center of your pot directly over heat source.)

While the onions are cooking, peel and chop the rest of your veggies-- the rutabaga or turnips, the sweet potato, and the potatoes--to roughly 1/2" pieces.

Add vegetables to the pot with the onions, and toss to coat in the spices. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add stock/water and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are soft (about 10-15 more minutes.) Remove from heat

Purée using an immersion blender or in a standing blender in batches. Add more stock or water if necessary to thin. Add back to pot and set oven medium heat once more.

Stir in slices of sausage and kale and simmer 5-10 minutes or until sausage is totally warm throughout (smoked sausage is already full cooked, it just needs reheating.) Serve warm with some freshly cracked black pepper on top.

CategoryCat McAllester, Soups & StewsTags#andouille, #garlic, #kale, #kielbasa, #onion, #potatoes, #rutabaga, #sausage, #sweetpotato, #turnip

Ingredients