Soup. Sans recipe.

C

carianna-in-wa

Well-known member
So today I made "Cause it sounds good soup." Which is to say that I, for the first time, cooked something without any kind of recipe to go off of at all. I'm notorious for "tweaking" (well, frankly, all of us here are) but I've never set out to make anything without a guideline before.

It was good. Quite good... but missing something. I'm not sure what, although I suspect it's herbal. I'd love suggestions for what IS that missing ingredient!

Wild Rice, Sausage, and Kale Soup with Butternut Squash

8 c. chicken broth (I tweaked Swanson's by simmering it with carrot, onion, celery, parsley, and parmesan rinds)

16 oz. spicy Italian ground sausage

1 c. wild rice blend

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 c. diced butternut squash

1 bunch kale, washed and chopped

1/2 t. dried oregano

1 t. fresh thyme

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

Procedure: I made the chicken broth the day before because I was bored. Then, tonight, I browned the sausage. Scooped it out of the sautee pan and added a touch of olive oil and sauteed the onions until they were softy and then added the carrot, celery, and wild rice. Sauteed that for just a couple of minutes and added that, the sausage, and the chicken broth to a soup pot. Brought to a boil, and then reduced the heat and put on the lid and simmered, stirring every 10 minutes or so for about 35 minutes. Tasted. Hmmmm. Missing something. Added the thyme and oregano, which improved things greatly. But it needs more heat. Added the pepper flakes. When the rice felt "almost there" I added the squash and then the kale and cooked for 10 minutes.

Overall it's good! It needs a bit more broth to make it brothy enough for my taste, and maybe it needs garlic? What do y'all think? I'm on the verge here... shove me over the edge, will ya?

 
Yes, garlic, and perhaps some peppers--bell peppers or mildly hotter.

the red pepper flakes add heat but not the acidity of fresh peppers.

 
Sounds yummy. I would add garlic and perhaps some diced tomatoes. Fun to make your own! : )

 
Update: It's WAY better today. I think all that's missing is a little garlic in with the onion.

The flavor is much more pronounced today. I'm really happy with it! It's making a nummy breakfast. smileys/smile.gif

 
Me too Pat, amazing what that splash of acid can do. Jalapeno juice sounds good too.

 
it's very traditional in German bean soups to add a spoonful of vinegar to the bowl before eating.

at least in our house it was a given.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top