Speedy Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup

Brrrrrr, early this morning the view through the window was wet, gray and totally uninspiring so I made the obvious decision to stay snugly tucked under the covers and read. Hours rolled by as The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt transported me into other lives, other worlds. No book review here; I'm still processing my many mixed responses to this lengthy Pulitzer Prize winning novel. But shortly after noon a series of annoying stomach rumbles reminded me that breakfast was a lost hope and I'd better get up and start moving on lunch prep. 

Soup fit my mood and the weather; quick comfort food is always a good thing on a cool, dreary day. The open bag of Halloween candy, my favorite Snickers bars conveniently stored on an adjacent kitchen counter, didn't even tempt as an emergency snack. Nope, instead some spicy chicken Andouille sausage, Yukon gold potatoes and curly kale prompted a flurry of chopping and cooking, tasting and seasoning without benefit of a recipe. The result? A warming bowl of soup that pleased us both. How do I know? RL ate two full servings and didn't even reach for the hot sauce. 

Lemon zest and juice added an extra pop to each bowl, brightening the flavor while avoiding a too-sour bite. Soups and stews typically improve with an overnight rest, so I am eagerly anticipating another bowlful at lunch tomorrow. 

 Speedy Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

serves 3-4

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, medium dice
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 links cooked sausage, sliced (precooked chicken Andouille today)
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1" dice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups kale, destemmed & roughly chopped
zest of 1 large lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup instant potato flakes (optional)
lemon wedges to serve alongside
shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Heat the olive oil in a medium kettle over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for several minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or so until fragrant. 

Add the coins of sausage, diced potatoes and herbs; toss to coat. Add the chicken broth and cook until the potatoes are just tender. 

Add the kale and cook a few minutes longer until softened. Stir in the lemon zest. Taste and adjust seasonings.

For a thicker broth, stir in instant potato flakes, 1/4 cup at a time. (You could mash the cooked potatoes to thicken the soup, but I like a thicker broth and potato chunks.)

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with shredded Parmesan and serve with lemon wedges.

Feijoada - an all-in-one-pot soup version

Reputed to be the national dish of Brazil, possibly reflecting a Portuguese influence (link), feijoada is the perfect comfort-food antidote to a cold snowy day... or a chilly wet weekend... even a bracing sunny day. Simple enough to whip up for family meals, it might also please company at a soup and bread feast. Our first introduction to feijoada was ages ago, as guests at an open house feast hosted by friends who were home again following a multi-year posting in Brazil. Their feijoada presented various cuts of grilled pork and pork sausages piled alongside spicy, soupy beans, some greens and bowls of fluffy rice. Both the event and the meal were memorably delicious.

A classic feijoada would include a variety of meat selections, typically pork; some smoked or cured, some fresh, some spicy and some mild. Dried beans would simmer on the stovetop for hours to soften, perhaps 1/4 of the cooked beans reserved to puree and thicken the juices. Traditional side dishes might include collard greens, garlic rice, thinly sliced oranges, and perhaps some tiny hot peppers.    

This isn't that; it's a soup more "in the spirit of" a traditional feijoada. Reminiscent of Cajun red beans and rice, yet totally different, we loved this soup on day one. On day two the beans had soaked up much of the broth, turning my feijoada into more of a stew, still flavor packed and satisfying. This substantial bean and pork soup/stew now ranks high on the list of our favorite winter comfort food recipes. What's your favorite meaty bean soup?

Feijoada - a non-traditional soup version

adapted from recipes by Bernice Ojakangas, Soup and Bread Cookbook  and Sheila Lukins, All Around the World Cookbook


2 cans low-sodium black beans, rinsed & drained
4 slices thick-cut bacon, in 2" dice 
or use 1 TBS olive oil (bacon grease adds more flavor)
3 cups yellow onions, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced or pressed
8 to 12 oz  of smoked sausage (Falls Brand Chorizo), 1/2" dice
1 can (14-oz) diced low-sodium tomatoes 
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp red-pepper flakes
1 can (14-oz) low-sodium beef broth, heated
2+ cups hot, cooked rice
pickled jalapenos, sliced (optional)
grated zest from 1 orange
1 orange, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1. Drain and rinse the black beans, repeat, drain again and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon pieces (or just heat the olive oil) in a large, wide-bottomed pot over medium-high heat to render the fat. Add the onion & garlic; cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. 
3. Add the diced sausage; cook until browned slightly and some fat is released. Add the tomatoes, cumin, red pepper flakes, drained beans and half of the heated broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until heated through, adding remaining broth as necessary.
4. Serve in individual bowls over a mound of rice and top with the chopped orange chunks, orange zest, parsley and jalapenos (if using). Or cool the soup and refrigerate, letting the flavors develop and meld, then reheat to serve. 

Mixed-Bean Soup with Sausage and Greens

Photo: Four different beans, sausage, vegetables and kale in a flavorful broth

Bean soup - when did it turn into such a taste treat? Not when I was a youngster, dreading Mom's endless pots of Split Pea or Navy Bean Soup. Not as a teenager, politely but firmly declining Ten-Bean Soup during Rose Parade/Rose Bowl events. Years later I  raved about the Lentil Soup served in the basement cafeteria of Raitt Hall on the University of Washington campus. My kitchen files hold a tattered and splattered 3x5 file card from the 70's that includes both the recipe and many years of  adjustments to a dynamite Cuban Black Bean Soup. Somewhere over the years I went from a bean soup hater to bean soup lover... okay, I'm still not too fond of traditional Navy Bean Soup.

Here's a recipe I'm playing with this month, tweaking repeated batches since the soup adapts well to changes in seasonings and base ingredients. That adaptability keeps us well-fed without the boredom of repetition. As written, the original version yields a hearty, well-flavored broth nicely loaded with beans and bits of sausage and vegetables. Beyond a few focused minutes of chopping, slicing and dicing, this kettle of goodness requires minimal hands-on effort and little time. The flavors do benefit from an overnight rest - time to blend and mellow - but the soup is tasty on day one. Double the recipe if you are going to feed a crowd.

Photo: A spicy SW bean and hominy soup with sausage and vegetables 

This weekend's kettle of soup was a spicier version, leaning more Southwest or Tex-Mex in spicy heat. While not as thick as a chili it was heading in that direction flavorwise. I can almost hear some diehard chiliheads gasping in horror: real chili doesn't have any beans (nope, none, zero, zip, nada) and this is such a bean centric recipe. Relax, I'm only talking about the chili flavors here, not the solids.  

It's still football season and my half-time meals or tailgating menus will see more bean soups before Super Bowl Sunday. (Go, Seahawks!!) Perhaps I'll try another flavor variation, maybe a different multi-bean twist, or I might turn instead to one of these bean soup favorites...

Black Bean with Chorizo
Lentil Soup
Ad-Lib Posole
Green Pozole with Chicken
Red Posole/Pozole Rojo 
Tuscan White Bean Soup

Do you have a favorite legume soup? Share the recipe or a link to it in a comment. 

Mixed-Bean Soup

adapted from Soup (Williams-Sonoma Collection) 2001

Serves 8

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 strips thick-sliced bacon
2 links cooked chicken Andouille sausage, cut in coins or small chunks
1 large yellow onion, small dice
2 peeled carrots, small dice
1 poblano pepper, remove seeds & membrane & cut in small dice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and rained
2 cans cannellini (white) beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4-cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, destemmed and cut in bite-size pieces
1 generous cup of ham, small dice (optional)

Optional flavor additions and garnish:
*Gremolata for topping
Splash of green Tabasco or other hot sauce
Drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Warm the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat; add the bacon and cook until crisp. Set aside on paper towels to drain: chop and reserve as garnish.
2. Sauté the sausage coins in the oil and bacon fat to brown slightly. Add the onions to the pot and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the carrots and poblano and cook until barely softened, another 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the next 11 ingredients, beans through thyme. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and cook at a low simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Let cool to mellow and blend the flavors (or skip this step if you are hungry and in a hurry. Remove 1/4 of the soup to another container and puree with a stick blender. Return the pureed soup to the larger soup pot.
5. Reheat the soup over medium heat; add the kale and ham (if using), cooking to heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings - I typically add Green Tabasco and red wine vinegar at this point. You may want to offer them at table to suit individual tastes.
6. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with a generous sprinkle of gremolata and bacon bits. (Don't skip the gremolata - it makes a difference!) Offer grated Parmesan, hot sauce, olive oil and red wine vinegar at the table as well.

*Gremolata
Stir together in a small bowl:
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
grated zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

**     **     **     **     **     **     **     **     **

OR you might take the soup in a SouthWest/Tex-Mex direction like I did this weekend and use one or some of the following suggestions...

...substitute a 50/50 blend of hominy and pinto beans for the 4-bean combination noted above
...substitute cumin, cilantro and Mexican oregano for the rosemary and thyme.
...add fresh cilantro in addition to the fresh parsley.
...use more poblanos or add tamed jalapeños
...substitute 1 pound crumbled pork sausage or chorizo in step 2 (drain off the excess oils) and skip the ham in step 5.

Cheese, Chorizo and Onion Frittata with Za'atar

Yes, it's one more frittata recipe, I'm averaging about one per year recently:
2011 Pasta Frittata, 
2012 Vegetable Frittata, and mini Frittata Muffins, 
2013 Tex-Mex Pasta Frittata, and now today's concoction.

 I can't help myself, I love these easy-to-prepare, make-them-with-my-eyes-closed, tasty breakfast dishes. Frittatas are so versatile, adapting to whatever is in the fridge for a casual family meal or starring as the favorite item in a company brunch buffet. 

Easy to cook? Yes, super easy because I use the cooktop-plus-oven method. You could get fancy and flip the entire thing over to cook the second side; it's not a big deal and I've done that before. Flipping means turning the partially set frittata upside down on another plate and sliding it back into the skillet to finish cooking. It does require some careful attention and a steady hand... or a bit of luck. Pick your favorite method, the frittata will be delicious either way.

An Everything Frittata

Serves 2-4, depending on appetites

Fillings: 

1 small onion, diced
1 small potato, cooked and diced (or rice or pasta)
1 link Chorizo sausage, diced (or bacon or other meat)
1 Roma tomato, diced
And/or any other tasty vegetables or other items you find in the fridge

Seasonings:
1 heaping teaspoon seasoning; think assertive herbs and spices like za'atar, oregano, basil, smoked paprika, cumin, ground chili, etc.
salt and pepper, to taste

Basic Frittata Mixture:
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese (mix of hard cheese & melting cheese)
4 large eggs (or 3 eggs plus some liquid egg white mix)

Directions:

1. Sauté & season the filling: Use a nonsitck skillet and cook the chorizo (or other meat) first. Discard most of the chorizo oil. Add the onion and potatoes and cook until the onion bits are softened and the potato has begun to brown. Stir in the tomato and seasonings and heat until warm. Taste and adjust seasonings; remember that this flavoring will stretch to include the egg/cheese mixture as well.

2. Add the Cheese: Spread the vegetables into an even layer; scatter 2/3 of the cheese on top and let it just start to melt.

3. Add the Eggs: Whisk the eggs and pour them over the filling and cheese; stir to incorporate. Cook until the eggs begin to set at the bottom and along the edges of the pan, pushing in the edges and tilting the pan to flow the liquid egg from the center onto the outer edges around the pan. When the liquid no longer runs move the pan into the oven.

4. Bake the Frittata: Put the entire pan into the oven and cook  until the eggs are nearly set. (Check by slicing into the center of the frittata.) Scatter the remaining cheese on top and return to the oven to finish cooking, but don't overcook. To crisp the top, broil for a minute or two until the cheese melts and begins to brown. Cool for several minutes before slicing into wedges. 

Serve with salsa, kimchi, sour cream or your favorite other accompaniments. Leftovers, if any, will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Enjoy them at room temperature or chilled.

Savory Sausage and Vegetable Gravy with Cheese Grits

Somehow we skipped a meal yesterday, a rare occurrence around here. Our very late breakfast meant sliding lunch into late-afternoon, and then we weren't hungry enough to eat dinner before turning in for the evening. Much later the tummy-rumble chorus started up loud and strong, signaling that it had been a l-o-n-g time between meals. Finally I couldn't ignore those increasingly annoying, noisy stomach gurgles and the impending threat of hunger pangs, either real or imagined. Fine! back downstairs to the kitchen to build a snack plate to share. We nibbled on stacked pear and cheese slices layered with a touch of jam, light fare but it quieted my growling stomach for the evening. Today I woke up hungry! eager for something savory, substantial and maybe even healthy. 

A sensible version of Cheese Grits qualified as substantial; sensible? well, they were cooked in water with no added milk or cream. I did add modest amounts of butter and cheese, forgoing my usual heavy hand with both of these ingredients, and doubled up the hot sauce for flavor instead. Sort-of-healthy?

Sweet mini peppers, some white onion, cremini mushrooms, lacinato kale and assorted seasonings joined bits of smoky sausage in a loose beef stock sauce. That took care of savory and healthy, with added bonus points for the gravy coming together quickly while the grits bubbled away on another burner. 

One heaping scoop of tempting, cheesy grits covered with a generous serving of the sausage and vegetable gravy, topped with a sprinkle of smoked salt and freshly ground pepper, made a deliciously filling breakfast bowl. OMG it was good! Both elements were tasty enough alone on a spoon, but a blended spoonful was terrific. The combination of smooth and crunchy textures, smoky and spicy flavors, plus pops of neon bright colors made this dish a two-thumbs-up winner.  I'll cheerfully make this again for breakfast... or lunch... or supper, ashore and afloat. C'mon by and join me for some grits and savory sausage and vegetable gravy - and don't pass up the hot sauce.

Savory Sausage and Vegetable Gravy

2 counts olive oil
1 link smoked sausage (I used Kielbasa today)
4 mini sweet peppers
1/2 cup sweet onion
4 large cremini mushrooms
1 cup lacinato kale, rinsed & deribbed
3 fat cloves garlic, smashed or chopped
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of ground ancho or chipotle chili pepper
pinch of smoky paprika (pimenton)
1 heaping Tablespoon AP flour
1 cup low sodium beef broth (more as required)
Optional ingredients:
  smoked salt
  hot sauce, to taste (I like Cajun Sunshine or Chipotle Tabasco)
  Creamy Cheese Grits, cooked with dairy or water

1. Slice the sausage lengthwise into quarters, then chop crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Dice the peppers, onion and mushrooms into pieces roughly the same size as the sausage. Chop the kale into bite-sized shreds.
2. Add a two-count of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet and warm over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage bits and cook to heat through and brown slightly, releasing any oils. Add the vegetables and garlic; saute until softened but not crispy. 
3. Stir in the oregano, thyme, ground black pepper and smoky paprika; heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the pan; toss and stir to incorporate. Slowly add the broth and whisk or stir to blend thoroughly. Continue heating and stirring until gravy thickens and is smooth. Cook longer to thicken the gravy; add more broth if it seems too thick. Taste, adjust seasonings, add hot sauce to desired level of heat.
4. Serve over Creamy Cheese Grits, sprinkle with smoked salt and pass the hot sauce. Enjoy!  

Iron Skillet Meatloaf

Photo: Chunks of crisp-crusted meatloaf  and stir-fried cabbage

I just realized that I might be a meatloaf snob. How did that happen when years ago any meatloaf was something to avoid? Meatloaf, "a mixture of smooshed up mystery ingredients and fat," has somehow morphed into a favorite winter entree. It may be a favorite but I am still reluctant to risk an unknown restaurant version that might be boringly bland, dry and crumbly, or horrors! greasy and edged with a pale, soggy crust. 

Ree's bacon-draped version is popular, but I'd rather enjoy the bacon by itself. Alton's ketchup-glazed crust doesn't tempt me. Nigella stuffs her meatloaf with hard boiled eggs and wraps it with bacon; mmmm, no thank you, that's a casserole not a meatloaf. A Marcella Rosene recipe for "Brown-Bottom Meat Loaf" (Pasta & Co. By Request, 1991), might have spoiled me for other versions. I occasionally tweak the original to reflect RL's input or what's available in the galley, but I never stray far from the original. Today's version omitted the usual minced carrots, substituted barbecue sauce for ketchup and swapped milk for half and half. No drastic differences here, no reason to mess around with a good recipe.      

It's all about meatloaf's Big 3: the flavor, the texture and the crust, a really crisp browned crust. A hot oven and a cast iron skillet will produce the best crust, yielding a meatloaf with a brown bottom and firm, structured sides. A quick flash under the oven broiler takes care of crisping up the top a bit. 

I can practice restraint when dining in public and use knife and fork plus my very best table manners, but at home I'll pinch off nibbles of crispy, browned crust, one after another. I love those crunchy edges and tend to ignore the soft, flavorful middle - at least until I visualize a sandwich. A cold meatloaf sandwich with an inch-thick slice of meat, slathered with grainy yellow mustard and creamy horseradish, topped with dill pickle slices and layered between dark rye bread, just might be more satisfying than a generous serving of meatloaf fresh from the oven. Maybe. It's a close contest.   

Tonight, mindful of portion control, I covered my small plate with a mound of stir-fried cabbage with onion and fennel seed, plus two puny chunks of delicious, well-seasoned, crispy-crusted meatloaf. Such restraint... RL went for seconds. Now I'll dream about cold meatloaf sandwiches until lunchtime tomorrow.  

Photo: Iron Skillet Meatloaf - minus one nibble of a crusty edge

Iron Skillet Brown Bottom Meat Loaf

inspired by a recipe in Pasta &Company by Request                              
Serves 4

                

1/2 cup onion, small dice           

1/3 cup jalapeño or poblano pepper, minced

1/3 cup celery, small dice        

2 fat cloves garlic, pressed

                  

2 eggs, beaten                                     

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup whole milk

3/4 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp each salt and black pepper

1/8 tsp chipotle or ancho chile powder

1/4 tsp sweet, smoked paprika (pimenton)

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 pound ground beef 

1/2 pound pork sausage

1/3 cup bread crumbs 

10-inch cast iron skillet, well seasoned

Soften the diced onion, pepper, celery and garlic in a covered dish in the microwave OR in the skillet with a bit of butter. Remove and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375.

In large bowl, beat together thoroughly the eggs, barbecue sauce, milk, cumin, salt, black pepper, chipotle powder, smoked paprika and nutmeg. Add beef, pork sausage & bread crumbs. Knead together by hand until well incorporated. Add the cooled vegetable mixture and blend thoroughly.

Pack meat mixture into a compact round with a flattened top, slightly smaller than the cast iron cooking skillet. That way you can easily lift the loaf out of the drippings to serve. (OR you could use a standard loaf pan or several small loaf pans though the crust wouldn't be the same. Muffin tins would work for individual servings, but sandwich options would be difficult. Adjust cooking time as needed.) 

Either way, bake on a center oven rack at 375 degrees F. for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cooked through and the drippings run clear. When meat loaf is done, remove from oven and drain off the drippings. I like to return the skillet to the oven, move the rack up to the upper third and broil the meatloaf for a minute or two until the top crisps up a bit (optional).

Let stand for several minutes to firm up. Slice wedges or divide in half and slice off straight pieces from center to edge. Serve and enjoy.

                                                          

Lamb Kofta with Yogurt Sauce

Call it kebab, kabob, kofta, brochette or satay, "food on a stick is just plain fun." I read that somewhere, probably online, and can't help but agree. Today's lamb kofta on a roll might have would have tasted the same if prepared as a flat lamb slider on a burger bun, but the skewer and grilling approach added an indescribable special something to the end result. 

The succulent, tender lamb available today is a much improved product over the disagreeable, strong-tasting, tough-chewing meat (mutton?) of my childhood memories. Now I love sizzling lamb chops, herb-crusted rack of lamb, butterflied and grilled leg of lamb, well-seasoned lamb burgers... and spicy lamb kabobs. 

I don't spend too many moments thinking about the U.S. meat industry in general, but did page through the American Lamb Council's website. Here are a few fast facts about our American lamb:

• There are over 82,000 sheep operations in the U.S. and a majority are family owned.
• The top 5 sheep producing states are Texas, California, Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota, though sheep are produced in nearly every state.
• 80% of U.S. sheep are raised for meat, with wool being a byproduct.
• A 3-oz serving of lamb has only 175 calories, meeting the FDA's definition for lean meat.
• In addition to protein, lamb is an excellent source of vitamin B12, niacin, zinc, selenium, iron and riboflavin. 

Interesting factoids, and it surprised me to think of lamb as a lean meat, but really it's all about flavor.  Today's lightly-spiced lamb kofta were delicious... food on a stick that was just plain fun. 

Lamb Kofta

Yields 8 kofta or 4 skewers

1 pound ground lamb

2 heaping tablespoons fresh mint, minced
2 heaping tablespoons Italian parsley, minced

2 teaspoons garlic paste

3 tablespoons grated onion

1 tablespoon pimenton (smoky Spanish paprika)

1 scant teaspoon ground chili pepper (ancho or cayenne)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons za’atar (or sumac plus thyme)

1 tablespoon capers, drained & rinsed

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Yogurt sauce (recipe below)

1. You will need a grill or cast iron grill pan and 4 long metal skewers.
2. Mix the ingredients thoroughly by hand. Divide into 8 equal portions. With damp hands shape each portion of meat into a smallish cylinder. Slide two meat rolls onto a metal skewer, not touching but separated from each other, and set aside; repeat with remaining meat and skewers.
3. Heat a ridged, cast iron grill pan over medium heat. Brush the pan lightly with olive oil.
4. Grill the skewered meat, turning frequently, until a golden brown crust develops and the meat is still slightly pink but cooked nearly through. Careful, don’t overcook the lamb!
5. Remove the kofte from the skewers and serve with warmed flatbread, pita or buns. Offer bowls of shredded greens and herbs, plus yogurt sauce on the side.

Yogurt Sauce:

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

grated lemon zest

2 green onions, finely sliced

Pinch of salt

Stir all of the sauce ingredients together, mixing thoroughly. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.