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Farmers Market Soup

Servings: 1 soup pot full
Author: Jill via Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound meat of choice even leftover roast chicken or beef. I like using sausage because it lends so much flavor and the rendered fat is great for sautéing the veggies—try breakfast sausage, sweet or hot Italian sausage, Polish sausage, Mexican style jalapeño sausage, smoked sausage, or any other kind of sausage either in links or bulk. It's best to find a local farmer you can get to know and buy from, but if not, here's an online source I trust.
  • 1 onion or the equivalent in leeks, spring onions, or shallots, chopped
  • 3-6 garlic cloves minced

4-8 cups rinsed and chopped, cubed, or sliced seasonal veggies from your farmer’s market. Keep in mind greens shrink a LOT when cooked. Be adventurous with new varieties! Here are some ideas:

  • carrots
  • celery or celeraic
  • fennel bulb save some fronds for fresh herbs to add at the end
  • asparagus
  • potatoes white, yellow, red, or purple
  • sweet potatoes or yams
  • turnips or parsnips
  • kohlrabi
  • summer or winter squash
  • greens of any kind kale, collards, chard, arugula, sweet potato greens, amaranth greens, mustard or turnip greens, spinach, bok choi, rapini/broccoli rabe, beet greens, etc.
  • tomatoes
  • peppers
  • eggplant
  • cauliflower
  • broccoli
  • cabbage
  • okra I prefer adding okra only during the last few minutes of cooking so it doesn’t get slimy
  • sweet corn cut from the cob
  • green beans try Chinese long or Liana beans if you get the chance!
  • peas: shelled sugar, or snow
  • radishes
  • beets red, golden, or striped
  • mushrooms try oyster, porcini, or other interesting varieties
  • fresh herbs: parsley cilantro, basil, dill, etc. (added at the end) -- if you need to use some dried herbs, here's where I get organic dried herbs and spices
  • Bone broth around 4-6 cups (See the note above for more about broth.)
  • Salt and Pepper and any other desired seasonings to taste if using sausage, be sure to taste the soup before adding salt

Instructions

  • 1. Brown meat or sausage in soup pot (unless you’re using roast chicken, beef, or other leftover meat). If using link sausage, you may want to wait to slice it until after browning so the casings don’t fall away from the meat. Remove browned meat or sausage with slotted spoon or spatula, allowing fat to drip back into pot, and set aside.
  • 2. Add extra healthy fat of choice to pot if needed, depending on how much rendered from step 1: butter, fat from the top of a jar of bone broth, olive oil, bacon grease, coconut oil, etc.—you should have between 2 to 4 Tablespoons total in there.
  • 3. Add aromatic veggies to pot: onions and garlic and also carrots, celery, and/or fennel if using. Sauté for a few minutes to infuse fat with flavor.
  • 4. Add meat back in along with rest of the veggies and broth. If you don’t have enough broth to cover everything, add some water. (Note: you could also transfer everything to your slow cooker at this point early in the day, and just let it cook on low until dinner time.)
  • 5. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. If using greens, okra, fresh corn or other veggie you don’t want to overcook, add during the last 5 minutes of cooking so the texture and color comes out nice. If using fresh herbs, add during the last minute or so of cooking. Adjust salt, pepper, and any seasonings.
  • Enjoy as is or garnish with sour cream, grated cheese, chopped avocados, sliced green onions, organic tortilla chips or croutons, or anything else that sounds good with your soup.

Tip: Make note of which veggies are in season at your farmer’s market to plan for different farmers market soup variations...