Monday, September 25, 2006

Basque Soup

Here is a soup I made Friday night and served with freshly baked Seven-Grain Bread. We loved this!


Basque Soup

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (either links or bulk -- I used bulk)
1 cup chopped onions
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
3 medium potatoes, cubed, skins on
1 cup chopped celery (include some celery leaves)
1/4 cup snipped parsley (or use 1 Tblsp. or so parsley flakes)
4 cups water
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules (or use 2 beef bouillon cubes)
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Slice or crumble the sausage -- slice it if it’s in links, crumble it if it’s bulk sausage. (I often have trouble finding bulk Italian sausage when recipes call for it, but my supermarket sells Italian sausage patties which can be used the exact same way.) Brown the sausage and the onion together in a Dutch oven. Add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer the soup for 1 1/2 hours. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

This recipe comes from my favorite cooking newsletter, COOK & TELL (see link in sidebar). It was in the September 1998 issue and is just delicious. I am not sure whether or not it’s completely authentic, but it does taste reminiscent of some Basque food we have had, and we absolutely loved this soup. Last summer in Nevada we had the opportunity to enjoy some authentic Basque food. We had dinner at a Basque dinner house and also ate lunch at a restaurant in a Basque hotel. In both cases the soup we had with our meal was a Basque vegetable soup. It was good, but this is even better!

2 comments:

  1. Mmmmm, this sounds so yummy, Mrs. T! I have some bulk sausage sitting in my freezer, and now I know just what to do with it! :) I have to tell you that I've been a reader for quite a while, but haven't yet commented.

    Well, I'm finally going to comment, and I just wanted you to know that I made your creamy white chili the other day for dinner, and it was FANTASTIC! I halved the recipe (as it's just me and my husband) since we normally end up with too many leftovers for soups, stews, or chilis... well, that was a mistake! We barely had enough for us to eat dinner, and just a tiny bit of leftovers for my hubby's lunch the next day! My husband said, "Now I know why everyone asks Mrs. T for this recipe!!"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Arlene,

    I am so happy to meet you and am glad that you're a regular visitor here at my kitchen table. A warm New England welcome to you!

    I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed the creamy white chili. We love it, and so does everyone I've served it to. I'm guessing you probably won't halve the recipe the next time you make it!

    Please stop by and say hello again sometime!

    God bless,
    Mrs.T

    ReplyDelete

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