Winter has not released its grip on us here in the Northeast, with cold, rainy days peppering the week even this late in May. And that means I’m still making big pots of hearty, warming soup, using all the odds and ends from the refrigerator and freezer. It’s a time-honored strategy that always produces the best soup, brimming with vegetables and bits of sausage, and bolstered by some homemade chicken broth.
I started with the vegetables. In the crisper were a couple of lonely turnips, an enormous, warty carrot from my C.S.A. that frankly I was a little intimidated by, a wedge of green cabbage and some perky radish tops I didn’t want to discard. But the beauty of soup is that you can use whatever vegetables you’ve got. Chop up a quart of them, keeping any tender leafy greens separate from sturdier vegetables and roots that need a longer cooking time, including cabbage, celery and mushrooms if you’ve got them.
For four to six servings, heat up your soup pot, and add some fat (oil, butter, duck fat, bacon grease). When it’s hot, add a diced big onion (or a couple of shallots or leeks), a couple of sliced fat garlic cloves (or about 4 small cloves) and a big pinch of salt. Let the alliums cook over medium heat (not high) until they soften and turn golden at the edges, 7 to 12 minutes.
Now, add some sausage. I used two links of spicy turkey sausages (about half a pound) squeezed out of their casing. You could use any fresh sausage here, including vegan sausages, or even plain ground meat or vegan meat, though you’ll have to season it more aggressively later. (Or you could go in a slightly different direction, and add three or four strips of chopped bacon.)
Cook the meat with the gleaming onions and garlic, breaking up the chunks with a spoon and drizzling in a bit more oil if that pan looks dry: Fatty pork sausages might not need more fat, but my leaner turkey sausages did. The meat should brown in spots, and the onions and garlic should get a little more golden in color.
Add the chopped sturdy vegetables and enough broth or water to cover them: about 6 cups or so, depending on how deep your pot is.
If you have some herb sprigs around, like thyme, rosemary or marjoram, you could throw them in the pot, along with a bay leaf or two. Pinches of dried herbs will also work. Or just skip them altogether.
Bring everything to a simmer, and let it bubble away until the vegetables are very tender, 40 minutes to an hour. Add the leafy greens during the last five to 10 minutes of cooking: 10 minutes for thicker greens like collards or mature kale, and five minutes for tender spinach, baby kale or radish greens.
Taste the soup, it will probably be bland, so you’ll need to add plenty of salt and pepper and a squeeze or two of lemon juice or a few drops of vinegar. Sometimes I’ll also mix in a grated garlic clove or some grated fresh ginger for a brighter pungency. And if the broth still needs a little something, try a few tablespoons of Parmesan or a few dashes of soy sauce or fish sauce to deepen the flavors.
This said, if your stock was rich to begin with and your sausages full flavored, your soup might not need a thing beyond a bowl, a spoon and a cozy warm spot to dig in.
This is part of a series in which Melissa Clark teaches you how to cook with pantry staples. See more.
