Monday, March 09, 2015
Potato Carrot Bean Sausage Soup -- soupy days
As Big Sis and Little Sis grow older I have been trying to have them responsible for some simple chores around the house. Both are very helpful in their own ways but when it comes to chores we have not been very successful to maintain a regularity. Like say Big Sis is responsible for folding her clothes and then putting them away. She does this diligently. But, yes there is a but, when once in two weeks, I randomly open her dresser drawers, clothes jump on me and spill out in a manner they should not. Big Sis would rather make scrambled eggs than fold her clothes.
Little Sis is much more organized when it comes to folding and organizing her clothes drawer. However she does not do it in a regular manner. She would rather pull a step stool besides me in the kitchen and roll luchis. Which is wonderful but someone has to do the other work too.
To start her on a simple job routine, I asked her to clean up the shoes that lie cluttered in the laundry/mud room at the end of each week. She did it with enthusiasm for a few weeks. Mind you I do not pay them for these chores so there is no incentive other than that of a job well done. After the first few weeks, Little Sis started forgetting about her chore in a pretty regular manner. I kept thinking she would get back to it. Nothing happened. Finally after a month I decided to remind LS of the chore that she was supposed to do every week. I also decided to imaprt some gyaan.
"LS," I said, "a chore is something you are responsible for. You cannot just do it one time and think it is done. You are supposed to arrange the shoes every week but I have not seen you doing it even once in the last month. What happened?"
LS looked at me and said "But I cannot do it."
"Why?"
"I have been fired from the job. Now I cannot do it anymore!"
And with that she moved on to live a life of leisure.
I wish, I could have clear reasons like that to skip all my daily chores and sit down with a book. But that will not happen. And I will make soup.
Every winter I find a new soup recipe that we love. I still make the old ones but some are clearly cooked more often than the other. Like this Tomato Soup wins hands down every winter. Sometimes we add crusty bread to it. On other days some basil pesto makes it a tomato-basil soup.
Then there is this Noodle Soup in Coconut milk. I call it a Khao Soi but it is not exactly a Khao Soi. Whatever it is, it tastes glorious.
This winter we found a new soup to love. I have a book of soup recipes which I bought from the library sale many years back and every winter I spend a good amount of time poring over the book. I end up making only a couple of them every year.
This year I decided to make this Potato Bean Sausage Soup and it was the best thing that could have happened this winter. It is much loved and even when I am making other soups the girls request this again and again. It is easy and I can make it pretty quickly in the pressure cooker. With some bread it serves as the perfect one-pot meal.
I am sure you will love it too.
I have simplified and added variations to this soup for my own good.
Firs we need a few vegetables.
I have used
1 potato -- peeled and chopped in cubes
1 large-ish carrot --- peeled and chopped in cubes
half of an onion
half of a fennel bulb -- chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic
Next we need a can of red kidney beans and some vegetable or chicken stock. If you don't have stock, don't fret, you can use soup bouillons or just plain water.
The star of this soup is of course sausage. I have used andouille chicken sausages. About 4 of them. Defrost and cut up the sausages.
First heat a tbsp of Olive Oil in a pressure cooker.
Add the sausages and saute until they are browned. Remove and keep aside.
Now to the same oil add 2 cloves of garlic minced and half-of-an onion chopped. Saute until the onion is soft.
Add a tsp of Tomato Paste.
Add the potatoes and carrots and saute for a minute. If you have fennel you will add some of the chopped fennel bulb now. Saute for a couple of minutes.
Next add enough stock or water so that the vegetables are immersed. Add salt to taste.
Close the pressure cooker lid and at full pressure cook for 3 minutes.
When the pressure is released, open the lid. Now add the kidney beans and the sausage. Adjust for salt and sugar. Simmer until the flavor is well blended.
Serve with some crusty bread.
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What is fennel bulb, Sandeepa? Can I get it here in Gurgaon? Is there a substitute?
ReplyDeleteyes...it is very much available in Gurgaon....check Spencer's, Spar, or even all the online veggie stores
DeleteThanks BongHomeChef?
DeleteThanks Sandeepa for such a warm soupy post. I am a real soup fan, hence would try this surely....as it is looking tempting, healthy yet is pretty 'non-vegĂ˝ to satisfy Bong family tastebuds.
ReplyDeleteAbout getting chores done...you can try rotating chores to break monotony....ha ha...quite a HR job to keep them happy and singing and getting the job done as well
Chores don't ask have to Tell him daily so that when he is grown up he does things on his own soup looks delicious perfect for winter
ReplyDelete