Couscous Soup

*Finally* a new post! We've both been in the process of packing and moving, which explains our longer-than-usual lull at the Gracious Bowl. With all this going on, we haven't had much soup anyways. Meals have been mostly takeout or quick bites standing at the counter. After a lot of eye-batting and begging, Margaret did make her comforting Chicken and Dumplings one weekend, but it's my turn to post, so you'll have to wait until next week to read about that recipe.

This week's inspiration surfaced in the form of a nearly 32 oz. container of all natural durum wheat, sundried tomato, and spinach couscous. Not only are these tri-colored grains pretty, they're also my favorite substitute for potatoes or pasta. Okay, okay. Polenta's really my favorite, but couscous takes an honorable second place AND you don't have stir your arm off to make it!

So, I put the container in my basket and decided to run with a little Moroccan flair and pick up some lamb sausage too. At home, I collected my red peppers, celery, and onion and set out to give "couscous soup" a go. Here's how it all went down:

Couscous Soup
Serves 2-4

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 red peppers, cubed
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp of ground turmeric or ginger
1 c couscous
5-6 c chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper
*Optional: 4 links of lamb sausage

1. If you're not using sausage, skip to Step 2. Preheat your broiler or grill. Place sausage on grill or on a baking sheet and heat until sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5-8 minutes on each side.

2. Place a stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, red peppers, and celery, cumin, and turmeric. Season and heat for 5 minutes or until translucent.

3. Add broth and bring to a boil. Slice sausage into rounds and add to stockpot. Stir in dry couscous.* Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste and serve.

*You could also prepare the couscous separately and add it to your bowl right before serving and ladle the hot soup over it.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Who'd have thought it would take three months for a girl from Baton Rouge to post GUMBO on her soup blog?? I'm embarrassed it's taken so long, but here it is! Finally!

My plan was to feature Seafood Gumbo at the end of December because we have it every year at my mom's house for Christmas dinner. And every time I go home I have to eat at The Chimes--I think they have the best Seafood Gumbo in town, besides mom's of course!

But let's face it, seafood is expensive, especially up here in DC, away from the Gulf Coast where shrimp are jumping around like water on a pancake griddle! My wallet just won't let me make it this week, but I've made my second favorite gumbo of all time: It's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!

Interested in delving a little further into the history of gumbo? Check here for more detailed information. I love Chuck Taggart's site called the gumbo pages. He's got a wealth of excellent information plus it's fun to read!

Most Louisiana recipes begin like this: "First you make a roux..." For gumbo, I like to make a dark roux. And you can't burn it or else you'll have to start over! This is the foundation for the gumbo so take your time! Like my mom says, you've got to keep stirring it and bring it to the point where it's almost about to burn, then it's just about perfect. About the color of dark milk chocolate. Or coffee with a touch of cream. Speaking of stirring, I got a roux spoon last year for Christmas! It's squared off on the edges so you can get to the roux in the sloped curves of your pot! Check out my spoon and note the evolution of my roux in the photos to the left.

I promise you'll love it! Special thanks to Jennifer at Weekly Dish for the inspiration!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Serves 8 (at least)

1 small chicken, quartered and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 lb andouille or any smoked sausage (I used turkey sausage!) sliced

1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil

2 medium yellow onions, medium dice
2 bell peppers, medium dice
4 stalks celery, medium dice
6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (careful!)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

1 1/2 quarts water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
OR chicken stock
4 Tbsp hot sauce (I love Crystal!)
4 green onions, thinly sliced

Boiled White Rice, about 1/2 cup per person

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear the chicken in vegetable oil until golden brown, about 8 minutes total. Remove the chicken from the pot. Brown the sausage the same way and remove.

2. Add flour, stirring constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon until the roux is the color of dark milk chocolate. Scrape the sides and the bottom frequently, because it will burn easily! The roux should take about 20 minutes total. If you burn it, there's no way around it. You must start over!! This is the hardest part!

3. Once you've got the roux chocolate brown, add all the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the herbs and spices and season with more salt and pepper. Slowly add the water and crumbled bouillion cubes (or chicken stock) while stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

4. Add the chicken and sausage and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 2 hours, skimming away any excess fat that rises to the top of the gumbo. When the meat is falling off the bones, remove the skin and bones from the pot and make sure the chicken is broken up into smaller pieces. If you like your gumbo thicker, just let it simmer a while longer to let it reduce a bit.

5. Stir in the sliced green onions and serve over boiled white rice. I like less rice, more broth and sometimes I like no rice! It's up to you!

6. Serve with hot sauce, Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning, and file powder.

Italian White Bean Soup with Sausage

In the kitchen, nothing ever ends up exactly the way I plan when I start out. This soup is a perfect example of the evolution of an idea. Here's a peek into how my brain works once I put a knife in my hand and start cooking away...

I woke up missing my mom's hearty Southern-style white beans and rice and headed out to the store for a few things: dried navy beans, ham hock, carrots, onion. Before I started to prepare the beans and rice, I dug around in the freezer and found some leftover pancetta and some spicy Italian sausage my friend Randy gave me and thought they'd be a great addition. I was inspired by a super simple kale and chick pea soup that I used to make a lot---and this is just a variation of that soup! I love that I get an excuse to use my leftover Parmigiano Reggiano rinds! (They add so much body to brothy soups.)

Some people get so hung up on following a recipe exactly, but I say that there are no real rules in cooking---well, maybe a few! But look, don't be afraid to substitute ingredients for what you have in your pantry. Don't have pancetta? Use bacon--or veggie bacon--or no bacon. Don't like white beans? Use red beans, chick peas, lima beans. In a hurry you can use canned beans instead of dried. The point is to have fun and experiment with new things! And cook for others when you can--it'll make you both feel good.

Italian White Bean Soup with Sausage
Serves 6

1/2 lb dry white navy beans (or great northern)
4 links Italian sausage (spicy or mild)
1/4 lb thinly sliced pancetta, diced

2 carrots, peeled and small dice
1 medium onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-28 oz can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed with hands
4 oz parmigiano-reggiano rinds
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, cut
1 tsp fresh sage leaves, cut
4 handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves
salt and pepper to taste

1. Pick over dried beans, discarding any pebbles or shriveled beans. Place in bowl, cover with water and soak overnight.

2. Brown sausage links in soup pot, then take out and slice into rounds and set aside. In same pot, add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, garlic and saute until soft and translucent.

3. Add the beans, sausage pieces, tomatoes, stock, herbs, and cheese rinds and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until white beans are very tender. (Don't salt the beans until they are fully cooked...sometimes the salt makes them tough.)

4. When ready to serve, pull out the cheese rinds, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in fresh spinach leaves. Serve with additional grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.