Deep night in our farm kitchen many months before winter, Kenny slipped layers of spices to the bottom of ball jars. Stacked unevenly, sloping colors and textures mimicked synsedimentary folds carved through canyons. Contents of the jars destined for his handcrafted sausage cause reflection: heritage pigs, organic and locally sourced seasonings are the esteemed Italian sausage below. It's not that Kenny found my (grandfather's) knife frozen in the snow that prompts gushing. [I lost the knife, he found the knife, I'm indebted to the finding of said knife.] But the soup crafted with his sausage is deserving of public attention. This is no favor to Kenny, it's merely hopping along the kindness via Hearth and Soul.
What tempted my guests to lay their entire bodies in this soup, teetering above their bowls on the high ledge of temptation poised to let it all go, was the smooth and bright flavor of the sausage and mature, but sweet squash. These ingredients make the recipe and thus I've included the grower in case you can support their craft.
Italian sausage and butternut squash soup (adapted from Emeril Lagasse)
1 squash, halved with seeds removed (Larga Vista Ranch)
1.5 pound ground Italian sausage (Heritage Ranch)
4 tblspoons butter
2 tblspoons olive oil
1 tsp salt
Ground pepper
6 cloves garlic (Hobbs Family Farm)
1 tblspoon dry sage
1 tblspoon crushed marjoram
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat squash halves with melted butter; season squash with salt and pepper.
Bake until very tender, about 45 minutes.
Remove flesh by scooping away from the peel which is then discarded. Set squash aside.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, lightly brown garlic in olive oil adding sausage.
Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
Add the sage and marjoram, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the cooked squash and stock, stir well to combine bringing to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
In a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches. Caution: do not process too long, keeping some texture to sausage.
Return to large saucepan.
Add greek yogurt and stir to incorporate evenly throughout soup and adjust seasoning to taste.
Reheat until served.
If you didn't hop above, do it now.
This recipe is shared with the Hearth and Soul hop.
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This soup, my friend, sounds utterly delicious. You know that I have those same squash and that same sausage in my house, so I will be whipping up a batch here shortly. It's such a blessing to have the very best ingredients, and know that they were produced with such care, isn't it? I'm so very glad that you linked up with the Hearth and Soul hop. I'm your newest follower.
ReplyDeleteHello! I wanted to personally welcome you to the hearth and soul hop! I am now following your blog! Ah, you are so lucky to have pastured pork sausage! I belong to a great milk club that is supplied by a lovely Amish Family and we have visited with them and sat at their garden table for a meal with them and seen the animals that supply us with food and milk. It is a blessing certainly to be this close to your food. I love the way you write about it as well. This is exactly what I am talking about when I say food from the hearth, made for your soul! Lovely to have you with us and I am now following your blog! All the best! Alex
ReplyDeleteI was soooo ready to be poised above my own bowl of your soul-warming soup! It sounds amazing and I'm so glad that you brought it to share with us at the hearth and soul hop this week. Welcome! :D
ReplyDeleteThis soup sounds so lovely - and the ingredients are all so wonderfully produced. There is nothing like pasture raised pork sausage - it is just the best. I'm too far away to support your local farm, but I always buy pastured meat here in England - where we call it 'free range' :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing such a comforting and delicious recipe.
Oh, what a lovely, lovely meal that would be on a cold, wintry night ... :)
ReplyDeleteI'm teetering on the edge of the bowl...ready to dive in! Some of the best sausage I've had in memory came from some new friends that raise their own....
ReplyDeleteI'd love a hot bowl of your soup right now!
Thanks for joining us at the hearth and soul hop.
This is perfect comfort food for our Beat the Winter Blues link party. Come link up! http://goodbycityhellosuburbs.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletei am so glad you enjoyed the sausage, and especialy that you saved a bit for me to taste. that was a most amazing soup. i had forgoten that you were there the night i mixed up the spices for those sausages. this was the first year for my Italian sausage and from the sounds of it, i will definatly be making more for this farmers market season.
ReplyDelete