I had a fair number of corn cobs, leftover from our fave grilled corn, in my freezer, and a ring of Wisconsin-style linguiça to try and do something with – I was fairly certain that Klement’s sausage would not be the same as Gaspar’s, so I didn’t even think of trying to use it the same way. Soup, mebbe.
I was correct, Klement’s version was like a nicely spicy kielbasa, and I will most certainly be buying more, if for no other reason than it would be killer in kielbasa vinaigrette…
but, there were still those corn cobs to deal with, so I started working on a soup.
INGREDIENTS
Corn Stock:
•8 corn cobs
•2 carrots
•Handful fresh basil
•1 tsp dried parsley
•1 tsp dried oregano
•1/2 tsp dried lemon grass
•1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
•3 tbsp chopped dried onion
•Sea salt to taste
Sausage and Chicken Soup:
•3 cups shredded chicken
•14 oz garlic sausage
•12 oz beer
•3 tbsp sherry peppers sauce
•8 cups corn stock
•1 bay leaf
•1 tbsp low salt soy sauce
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 (12 oz) bag frozen corn
•1 (6.5 oz) container Boursin cheese
Tortilla Crisps:
•3 or 4 tortillas, cut into thin strips*
•Olive oil
•Coarse salt
•Garlic powder
*Use either corn or whole-grain tortillas for this tasty little garnish.
First, make the corn stock by placing the leftover corn cobs in a large pot along with the carrots and other seasonings. I should note that it was a cold and stormy day when I made this soup, and I was out of fresh onion, parsley, and celery and did not feel like driving to the market to pick some up, so I used what I had and tossed in some stuff from the spice cabinet; feel free to add these should your larder be better stocked than mine.
Cover it all with water, then bring to a boil and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring when you think to, until you have a nice, rich, vegetable stock.
Strain out and discard the corn cobs and stuff, then return the stock to the pot while you start on your soup.
Slice the sausage and brown in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat for three minutes, then flip and cook for another two minutes, until both sides are nicely browned.
Add the beer and sherry peppers sauce, then cook until liquid has been mostly reduced to a spicy beer glaze – about 14 more minutes.
Note: I used my new favorite Scanpan for this bit, and it worked a treat. Clean up was also a snap.
Add the sausage to the pot with the corn stock along with the chicken, bay leaf, and Aleppo pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so.
While you’re doing this, make the tortilla crisps by slicing however many corn or whole-grain tortillas you want into strips, then tossing them on a with olive oil (about a tablespoon per tortilla), sea salt, and garlic powder. Arrange the strips on a rack set into a baking pan and bake at 450º for six to eight minutes, until they are deeply brown and crispity. Set aside to cool and try not to eat them all as you finish the soup. Oh, who’m I kidding, just make extra, you know you’re gonna munch…
Taste the soup and add salt and/or black pepper if you think it needs it – mine was fine – then stir in the frozen corn and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Stir in the cheese until melted, then cook over low heat until the soup is nicely heated through.
Serve with however many of the tortilla crisps you’ve managed not to eat.
Nice soup, and perfect for a cold, rainy June evening. Rich was thinkin’ that next time I make this (yeh, he really liked it), I should mebbe add some black beans along with the frozen corn, and I believe I may just…
and mebbe some spinach, too.