Spicy Sausage and Swiss Chard soup
- Serves: 10 – 12
- Preparation Time: 15 – 20 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 45 minutes- 1 hour
This soup is perfect either as an appetite whetting first course or as a main meal. The smoky spiciness of Andouille sausage, which is most commonly found in gumbo, is a perfect accompaniment to the delicate flavor of Swiss chard, which to me tastes like a cross between celery, spinach, and mild beets, and the heartiness of black eyed peas which has long been a staple of southern and soul cuisines. Try this at your next potluck or a cool spring evening dinner and enjoy.
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | quarts | Chicken Stock (about two large cans) |
| 12 | oz | Andouille sausage, diced |
| 1 | cup | sweet yellow onion diced |
| 2 | tsp | olive oil |
| 1 | Tbsp | garlic (about 2 cloves crushed) |
| 1 | bunch | swiss chard rinsed and chopped into bite sized pieces |
| 3 | medium | potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2″ pieces |
| 15 | oz can | Ro-tel brand diced tomatoes with green chilies |
| 15 | oz can | black eyed peas drained |
| 1 1/2 | cups | frozen sweet corn |
| 3-4 | heavy dashes | green Tabasco sauce or other jalapeno based sauce |
| 2 | Tbsp | red wine vinegar |
| 2 | Tbsp | red wine |
| 2 | bay leaves | |
| salt and pepper to taste | ||
| 4 | Tbsp | cornstarch whisked into 1/2 cup cold water or stock |
To prepare:
Heat a large soup pot over moderately high heat and add in the olive oil, chopped onions, and garlic. sauté 4-5 minutes to caramelize, stirring constantly until the onions become a light honey brown color. Next add in the andouille and stir constantly til the sausage is heated thru then add in the chicken stock, Ro-Tel tomatoes, jalapeno sauce, and bay leaves and bring to a gentle boil. Add in the potatoes and return to a simmer for about 10 minutes then add in the chopped Swiss chard. Simmer the soup until the potatoes and swiss chard stalks are tender. Add in the Vinegar, red wine, black eyed peas, and sweet corn then simmer another 10 minutes or so. Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture and return to a boil to slightly thicken. Serve immediately with croutons or oyster crackers.
