Author Notes
After gorgeous weather here in Michigan last week, I'm now looking at gray skies and feeling chilly winds...Time for soup season! This one uses some collards, tomatoes, parsley and basil from my garden, probably the last remnants of the season. Full of chick peas and a little sausage it'll stick to your ribs and fill your belly.... —inpatskitchen
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Ingredients
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3 cups
cooked chick peas (alternatively use 2 14 to 15 ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
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2
medium carrots, coarsely chopped
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1
large onion, coarsely chopped
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2
celery stalks, coarsely chopped
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4
cloves garlic
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3
Italian sausages (hot or mild) casings removed ( about 12 ounces)
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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2
medium fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
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1 teaspoon
fennel seed
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1/4 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 teaspoon
black pepper
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8 cups
chicken broth
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5 cups
baby spinach leaves
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5 cups
chopped collard greens which have been braised in water for 8 to 10 minutes
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10
large fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
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3/4 cup
chopped flat leaf parsley
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Salt and pepper for reseasoning if necessary
Directions
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Place the carrots, celery, onion,garlic and Italian sausage in the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 15 to 20 times until the mixture resembles a coarse paste.
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Heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the processed mixture, the fennel seed, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the sausage loses its pink color and you can see the onions softening. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomato seems to disintegrate into the mixture and then add the chicken broth and chick peas, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes
Stir in the collards and spinach and continue to cook until the spinach wilts.
Stir in the basil and parsley and re season with salt and pepper if necessary.
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.
My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
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