Creole Soup

I made this soup for dinner a couple of nights ago. A few friends were here to help eat it and someone asked for the recipe. This is an easy place to put it, so if it sounds good keep reading.

My Mom found this recipe back in the 1960's and it has been in our family ever since. A couple of days ago I went to my recipe box and horrors! The crusty old recipe card was not behind the "soup" tab. I hadn't made this for at least a year and thought maybe I could make it, but put out a quick text plea to my sisters anyway. Within a minute or so, I had an email picture of Karla's crusty recipe card! Now I have a newly written card and it is put away in the soup section.

Creole Soup

1/2 lb. ground sausage

chili sauce or chili powder

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 small white onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

4 Tbsp. butter

1/4 c. flour

4 c. chicken stock

14 oz. can of diced tomatoes

1 c. cooked rice

salt to taste

Cook the sausage and drain the grease. Add chili seasoning. 

Saute green pepper and onion in butter. Stir in flour. Blend in heated stock and tomatoes. Add sausage and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Let soup simmer 20 minutes, stirring often.

Add cooked rice and simmer 5 minutes more.

Serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Just A Little More . . .

If you really plan ahead you can cook a little rice for a previous meal and save a cup for this recipe. If you haven't, not problem. Get your rice cooking. If you aren't cooking rice for another purpose you won't need much. Boil a cup of water, add 1/2 cup rice. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan and let it cook for 15 minutes. Check it. If water has absorbed and rice is not done, add a bit more water and let cook another 5 minutes. When it is done, remove from heat and let sit till ready.

While rice is cooking put the stock and tomatoes in your soup pan and let it slowly heat. 

In a skillet cook your sausage. Once it is done, drain the grease and remove the sausage from the pan. Give the skillet a quick rinse and melt the butter. Add the chopped vegetables and cook until tender. Stir in the flour. This blend of fat and flour (and cooked veggies, in this case) is called a roux and will slightly thicken the soup. Add this roux to the heated stock and tomatoes and stir until it comes to a boil. At this point the soup will slightly thicken. 

As for the chili seasoning, I always use chili powder. How much? I don't know, depends on my mood, probably somewhere close to a tablespoon. I just dump some in. Some times I use a little ceyenne pepper for a little more heat, too. 

Now it is time to add the cooked sausage and let it simmer. Add the cooked rice shortly before serving.

I wish I had taken some photos of this soup, but I didn't even think of it. I was having too much fun with conversation around the table. Add some salad, some breadsticks or crusty rolls and you have a wonderful meal! In fact, I think I might make this soup when my brothers come for dinner a few days after Christmas. After all, it is a taste from our youth! 

Enjoy!