My soup inspiration this year came from 101cookbooks, via soupchick. To "sell" my humble soup, I offered a free loaf of Potato/Rye bread, freshly baked just two hours before the swap. I used the ABin5 recipe from the first book, seeding the crust with caraway, sesame and poppy seeds.
Rustic Cabbage Soup with Smoked Chicken Sausage
adapted from a recipe by Heidi Swanson, 101cookbooks.com
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 t salt
5 lbs potatoes, cut in 1/2" cubes
3 lbs smoked chicken sausage, diced
3 onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced
3 48-oz boxes of low sodium chicken broth
4 15-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 heads of cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/2" ribbons
Seasonings: bay leaf, thyme, fennel, salt, pepper
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Stir in the potatoes and salt, toss to coat with the oil, cover and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the onion, garlic, sausage and herbs, sautéing for about 3 minutes. Add the broth and beans and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming any bean froth off the surface if necessary. Check to see if the potatoes are cooked, but still firm; if not, continue to simmer until they are. Stir in the cabbage until just wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf.
Serving suggestion: drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese
Makes about 12 quarts
