• Category Archives Soups and Stews

  • Spicy Chick Pea and Kale Stew with Italian Sausage

    Posted on by Dr. Prosciutto Comment

    It’s still winter, and just about to start getting real cold, so I thought I’d give you one of my favorite recipes for staying warm.  This stew has a lot of ingredients, but it’s actually relatively fast, really easy, and it freezes like a champ.  This is a big favorite of my guests in the lab, and we know if the “Dude in the basement” likes it, anyone will.  This is a variation of  Morrocan recipe I learned form my neighbors, with the spices changed up a bit.  I’ve also found similar recipes in Italian kitchens and cook books.  I’m using hot Italian sausage here, you can feel free use any sausage you like, or now sausage at all.  I’ll give you some ideas later on.  Here’s the goods to make about a gallon.

    1/2 white onion, sliced 1/4″ thick
    2 bunch kale cleaned (I’ll show you in a bit, real easy)
    OR

    Rich, stick to your ribs, hearty warmth…

    2 bags frozen kale (If your can’t find fresh)
    1 14 oz. can of chick peas
    1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles (zesty or mild, your call)

    1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapeno
    1/2 red bell pepper, sliced.
    3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
    1-1.5 quart chicken stock
    1 c. white wine.
    2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
    1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
    1 lb. Italian sausage

    1.  So first things first, let’s get that kale clean.  all you want to do is take out the ribs.  You can do this with a knife, or your fingers like so:

    Once all of the ribs are off of the leaves, just give it a quick chop.  Leave it as big or small as you like.

    2.  Now we’re going to brown the sausage.  You can buy it loose in some stores, but most stores sell sausages in a casing.  if you can’t find the loose (or bulk) just cut a slit down the middle of the casing and pull the meat out.  We want this to look nice and rustic so don’t  worry about being pretty.  Start a pot on medium low heat with just a tablespoon of olive oil.  We want to render the fat out of the sausage real slow, and use that to cook the vegetables.  If you’ve read “THE DIP…not a dip THE DIP“, you’ll remember the potato masher trick.  Use a potato masher to break up the sausage as it cooks so it browns and renders evenly.

    3. When the sausage is brown, add your peppers onions, and garlic.  This is going to sweat down for about 10 minutes.   Add the wine and let the alcohol cook out, about 2 minutes.

    4. Drain your chick peas, give them a good rinse and add them to the pot with the kale.  Let this cook for about 5 minutes.

    5. Now add your diced tomatoes and chicken stock.  Bring the pot up to a boil, then lower the heat to a low simmer.  Let this go for about 30 minutes, or until the kale is nice and tender. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste, and you’re done.

    That’s it.  Easy right?  Serve this up with some crusty bread or a nice grilled lavash or pita. Don’t be afraid to play with this stew either. Feel free to use whatever type of sausage you want.  I’ve also done a variation where I’ve used cumin, and cilantro instead of the oregano and thyme.    The ingredients in here are very versatile so just do it to taste.  If you want some more heat, a few dashes of Tabasco will really set this off.

    Happy Eating,

    -The Doctor


    This entry was posted in Soups and Stews

  • Creamless Cauliflower Soup with Chicken and Apple Sausage

    Posted on by Dr. Prosciutto Comment

    Baby…baby it’s cold outside.  You know how I’m gonna warm you up?  With this hearty delicious and healthy soup, that’s how.  (Please, this is a family web site……kinda…humor me a little here).  This is one of my favorite soup recipes, because it comes out really rich and creamy, with no heavy cream at all, not even any dairy.  I came up with the recipe, originally without the sausage, for a friend of mine who eats “Paleo” and was tired of chicken and broccoli.  This recipe is super simple and super-fast.  You can even portion it out and freeze it, so you just grab a container and go in a pinch.  You can also add whatever sausage you like.  I also like to use a Roasted Garlic and Parmesan sausage, Chorizo, Merguez, whatever you like.  I also like to throw a little blue cheese in there, but that’s up to you.  To make half a gallon you’ll need:
    1 2.5 lbs. cauliflower.  (Try to get the whole heads fresh, they’re great in the winter and really cheap.  If you have to use frozen, just thaw it first, drain, and then weigh.)

    1 medium white onion, sliced thin
    Little tomato love with that soup please
    3 whole cloves garlic
    1.5 qts. chicken stock
    1 c. white wine (dry preferably)
    2 tbsp. fresh marjoram leaves (or oregano if you can’t find marjoram)
    1 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
    4 links of your favorite chicken and apple sausage, sliced








    1.  KNIFE WORK TIME!!!!!!!!!  But before you pick it up, set your oven to broil.  You’ll thank me later.  Take the core out of you cauliflower and remove the leaves, like this:
    Then just make 1 inch slices and lay them out on a sheet tray or baking tray, if they fall apart, no big deal.  Brush the cauliflower with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and toss them in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they looks like this:



    If you can only get frozen cauliflower, not big deal.  Just toss it in a bowl, season it with salt and pepper the toss it in oil.  Broil it the same way.  Just worry about one side, we want to flavor, just not all that color.
    2.  With the Cauliflower set aside, it’s time to get going on the soup.  In a nice big, heavy bottom pot start sweating the onions and garlic.  You can use any oil to do this, I prefer just regular olive oil or canola oil, it’s just preference at this point.  Stir the onions and garlic around every two minutes, when everything is nice and translucent like this:



    it’s time to add your wine.
    3.  Reduce the wine all the way down.  This means all the way to where there’s almost no liquid left in the pot.  
    4.  Now it’s time to add the cauliflower, herbs and your stock.  Bring everything up to a boil, and then reduce the heat down to a simmer for about 45-60 minutes.
    5.  At this point the cauliflower and onions should be super soft.  If not, cook it a bit more. This is where we get to play with some hardware!!!!  If you have a stick blender, go to town until the soup is smooth, if not, use a regular blender.  I’ve used both and found the regular old school blenders to make a smoother puree, but it’s preference. 
    6.  MEAT TIME!!!!!  Either slice or dice the sausages and get a sauté pan nice and hot.  These sausages will usually come pre-cooked, so all you have to do is heat it up.  If you have raw sausages, just cook ’em in the oven.  Take your sausage slices or dices, toss them in the hot pan for a minute them just serve over the top of the soup.  If you’re making the soup now for a time later you can hold off on the sausage until you ready to serve, or just throw it in now if you don’t care about it not looking pretty. This is the point where I like to throw some blue cheese and diced tomatoes on top (just an couple of tbsp, and bring this soup to another level.  

    So there you have it.  I hearty, healthy, stick to your ribs kind of meal.  Don’t be afraid to play with this recipes a little bit.  You want different sausage?  No Problem.  You want to add a nice ripe cheese?  No Problem.  You want to add cream?  No problem (just add 1 c. when you add the stock). Use your imagination here and create your own variation of this soup in your own lab.  You get questions?  No problem, just hit me up in the comments.

    Happy Eating, 

    -The Doctor

    This entry was posted in Soups and Stews