Sausage, White Bean and Leek Soup
Waking up to the first snowstorm …
I love winter and all that comes with it! The dark evenings, the cold, the snow, the change in menu, and of course, the holidays! I’ve been labeled the Christmas queen - both in France and the USA. Being l'Américaine in our French rural village, I stunned our neighbors (and even my French husband) with our interior decor. However, as our son grew, my husband decided to follow the American lead and tastefully outline our farm house and our well in lights! What a surprise for our hamlet!
This year it’s a bit different for all of us. Yes, I’ll still decorate, cook and bake for us to enjoy but there’ll be no visits. No visits also means no invites to my cookie exchange. This easy soup (made from all storecupboard/freezer ingredients) would have been a great winter warmer for the bakers, but there’s always next year.
Sausage,White Bean and Leek Soup (serves 3)
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. butter and a dash of olive oil (to keep the butter from burning)
2 leeks (trimmed of the dark green stalk and well soaked and washed to remove all the grit)
4 quality sausages (removed from their casing)
3 cups chicken stock
1 can of white beans (drained and rinsed)
Parsley
Olive oil for garnish
Seasoning as desired (salt, pepper, garlic, chili flakes)
Instructions:
Place the chicken stock in a large pot and warm over medium heat.
Melt the butter and a dash of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Slice the leeks into pieces and add to the frying pan until softened (stirring every now and then to prevent browning).
Add the leeks to the chicken stock - keep warm.
Add the sausage to the same pan as used for the leeks. Roughly chop the sausage (so it resembles small rustic meatballs) and brown about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Drain off the grease and lightly blot sausage pieces with a paper towel. Keep warm in the frying pan.
In a blender, pour the chicken stock with the leeks and just over half the white beans. Liquidize.
Return to the large pot and heat. Season as desired (salt, pepper, garlic).
When ready to serve, pour into the soup bowls. Add a few white beans and decoratively a portion of sausage. Lightly enhance with a scant few drops of olive oil. Finally scatter the parsley and a few red chili flakes as desired.
