This soup celebrates some of my favorite flavors of the fall season. All of these ingredients are at their best this time of year and available in local grocery stores. The recipe can only get better by adding your favorite fall ingredient, but the marriage of sausage, celeriac, cabbage and squash is a great flavor base. I like to use Farm to Market hot ground sausage which is MSG free. Make this a day ahead to let the flavors infuse overnight. Finish with the fresh kale ribbons and garnish with the fennel frond for a lovely aroma. Serve with your favorite bread and a crisp green salad and enjoy the delicious and healthful flavors of fall – Bon appetite!
INGREDIENTS
Butter 4 oz.
Yellow onions, small dice 1/2 cup
Leeks, small dice 1/2 cup
Celeriac, peeled, small dice 1/2 cup
Carrots, peeled, small dice 1/2 cup
Bay Leaf 1 each
Fennel, peeled, thinly sliced 1/2 cup
Cabbage, green, thinly sliced 1 cup
Marjoram, dried 1/2 Tsp.
Oregano, dried 1/2 Tsp.
Garlic, fresh, minced 2 Tsp.
Paprika, sweet 1/2 Tsp.
Stock, Chicken 2 1/2 Qt.
Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, small dice 1/2 Cup
Parsnips, peeled, half rounds 1/2 cup
Sausage, ground, cooked 3/4 lbs.
Lacinato kale or chard, cut in ribbons 1/2 cup
Fennel frond, plucked for garnish
Salt and pepper
METHOD
- Cook sausage over medium heat – do not brown. Pour off excess fat. Set aside.
- Melt butter without browning. Add onions, leeks, celeriac and carrots, and sweat over medium heat until slightly softened.
- Add bay leaf, fennel, cabbage, herbs, garlic and paprika, and cook over low heat for five minutes.
- Add stock, squash, parsnips and sausage, and cook until squash is tender.
- Remove bay leaf. Quickly cool, and let sit overnight.
- Reheat and season with salt and pepper. Add kale at last minute for garnish with fresh fennel frond.
Manda Hudak is the Savory Chef Instructor at The Culinary Institute of Montana at Flathead Valley Community College. For more information about the program, visit www.culinaryinstituteofmt.com.