Something told me if I didn’t get a recipe out soon there would be a mob of pitchfork welding slowcarbers kicking down my front door. Well…not likely due to most of you not knowing where I live and the plethora of excellent recipe blogs with much greater consistency. As it often happens this blog has taken a back seat to my primary responsibilities of software consulting (hire me!) and my other side project Standup Radar but I’ve had a bit more free time this week so thought it would be fun to see if I remembered how to post a recipe!
Just a quick note on buying stock. I normally use boxed chicken stock but this time I decided to test out a Pho Stock from my local butcher shop. Its a little pricey but really makes a huge impact on the flavor so I highly recommend that route. Another option is to make your own from scratch!
NOTE: Before you buy ingredients make sure to read the okra disclaimer in the recipe instructions.
For this particular recipe I had some grilled chicken sausage left over from the night before but they could be easily cooked in the oven or swapped out for non-sausagified chicken. I prefer to dice them pretty small so if you want to do the same its much easier to do that once they have cooked and cooled.
Next dice the carrots[1], onion[2] and celery[3] into 1/4 inch pieces and placing in a large bowl. Add cooking fat (butter, olive oil, etc) to a large pot and begin to heat at medium. When butter is melted or oil is shimmering add diced vegetables and pressed/minced garlic to the pot and stir to coat. Continue cooking for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
OKRA DISCLAIMER: I listed okra as optional because after a few nights eating this soup I determined it was producing some undesirable stomach effects. I strongly recommend skipping this ingredient unless you know that you can handle it or at least considerably reduce the amount.
Now that the mirepoix is softened up add to the pot the sausage, stock, and possibly okra. Give everything a good stir and reduce heat to slow simmer.
Depending on your hurry and how hungry you get continue simmering for 15-60 minutes. While the soup is doing it's thing you can leisurely dice the mushrooms and either add to the soup straight away or saute in a frying pan with some cooking fat. I choose the latter mostly due to my roommate's distaste for mushrooms but a little extra sauteing never hurts the taste of mushrooms.
When you are ready to feast, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve in a bowl (duh) with chopped cilantro (optional).
[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0AdAKviw0o
[2] http://vimeo.com/22709715
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZhdc4m1iGY
