Monday, January 24, 2011

National Soup Swap Day 2011 in Seattle!

Delicious fun was had by all! Thanks to Pam of Nerd's Eye View, with assistance from Bill, for the fine videography.


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