Family Table: Tuscan Sausage Soup

Add layers of flavor with this savory dish

By Cristen Clark

Growing up, we weren’t served a lot of soup because my mom preferred fixing other meals. The soup of her youth consisted of a can of this or that, stretched thin with water as there were eight kids in her family. When I was a toddler, I had surgery at the children’s hospital in Des Moines. Coming out of surgery, I was as hungry as ever, and when given a chance to eat, I was served chicken noodle soup. My mom said I loved it so much that I tipped the bowl up to my mouth to finish every last drop. I still love soup and serve it a couple of times a week to my family in the winter months.

When I became serious about cooking, I was working at WHO Radio. During my lunch hour, I watched chefs and television personalities on their shows. There was always a common thread in each of the episodes – building flavors to improve recipes. Luckily, developing flavors in soups and stews is an easy way to learn, and this skill will help make other recipes in your arsenal even better.

Consider these tips for building flavors in any recipe:

Fat is flavor: Depending on the cuisine you are serving, the fat used to sauté recipe components can lend a familiar flavor to the final dish. I like to use olive oil in Italian soup or Greek pasta and butter for anything uniquely Midwestern. Lard adds a deep, rich flavor as a base for enchiladas.

Add color: Say “so long” to veggies that are wimpy and lack color. When sautéing vegetables for a dish, turn up the heat to add a little color. Cooking with high heat for a shorter amount of time leaves tender-crisp vegetables with a hint of color. When cooking ground meats like pork, beef or turkey, crank up the heat to add color to the meat. When cooking ground meat with a low fat content, add a pat of butter to moisten the cooking environment. Doing this will add a rich flavor due to the dairy solids in the butter that will also nicely brown the outside of the meat.

Put on the finishing touches: Topping a dish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, a dollop of sour cream, a splash of balsamic vinegar or a crunchy garnish elevates the dish’s flavor and texture. When serving soup, consider a crusty sourdough loaf on the side for dipping.

This Tuscan Sausage Soup recipe is one of my favorites and incorporates Italian sausage, bacon, mushrooms and heavy cream for richness and sundried tomatoes and kale for acidity and brightness.

Tuscan Sausage Soup

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Byrnes, Dance Around the Kitchen.

Soup

• 1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage

• 1 sweet yellow onion, chopped

• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced to 1/8-inch thick

• 4 strips bacon, cooked, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped

• 6 cups chicken stock

• 1 bunch kale, leaves only, chopped

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Garnishes

• Parmesan cheese, grated

• Additional bacon, cooked, chopped

• Fresh basil leaves, julienned

• Fresh parsley, chopped

In a stock pot, brown sausage for 5 minutes, add onion and mushrooms. Cook over medium-high heat for an additional 5-8 minutes or until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender. Add bacon, garlic and sundried tomatoes. Cook, while stirring occasionally, an additional 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant and tender. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add kale and continue to boil for 2 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove pot from heat, add heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with cheese, bacon and additional fresh Italian herbs like basil or parsley. Serve alongside a loaf of crusty sourdough bread.

Cristen Clark is a pig farmer, creator of the Food & Swine blog and an award-winning baker and cook. She lives on a farm near Runnells with her husband Mike and children Halle and Barrett.