sam the chef? i dunno.....

Since I have moved up to Idaho, I have been cooking a TON more than usual. Something about having a kitchen at my disposal, not to mention all the free time I have now compared to Texas. Anyway, I want to post recipes here so that I can keep track of what I am cooking. Tonight I made a sausage & kale soup with some flat french bread for dinner. It turned out pretty good, although the soup turned into more of a stew. We had flat french bread growing up all the time, so it was great to be able to make it again, well for the first time (mom always made it before). I don't have any pics this time, hopefully next time!

_______


Sausage & Kale Soup:

Ingredients:

* 6 ounces turkey kielbasa, sliced
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 large clove garlic, chopped
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 pound fresh kale, washed, or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped kale, thawed and drained
* 2 cans (13 3/4 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 4 cups water
* 2 carrots, sliced
* 1 teaspoon dried leaf marjoram, crumbled
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Directions:

Saute kielbasa, onion and garlic in oil in large pot over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes.

If using fresh kale, cut off stems and slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Keep stem pieces separate. Coarsely chop fresh leaves.

Add to the pot the chicken broth, 4 cups water, carrot, marjoram, salt, pepper and sliced fresh kale stems or frozen kale, if using. Bring to boiling. Lower heat; cover and cook for 15 minutes longer. If using fresh kale, add the leaves at this point along with the rice to the pot. Bring to boiling. Lower the heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Flat French Bread:

Ingredients:

2 tblsp. yeast
2 cups water
1 tblsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
1/2-1 stick melted butter
1/2 cup (or so) sesame seeds

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water. Make sure the water is warm. Let sit for 5 minutes to dissolve. Stir in the salt and flour. Cover and let rise until your dough has doubled (about 1.5 hours).

Grease a 10 1/2 x 15 1/2 pan well on all sides. Press and spread your dough into the pan. Cover the dough with the butter and sesame seeds. Let rise for another hour in the pan while covered.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and then at 350 degrees for another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Thanks to my Aunt Shannon for this recipe and she makes it so much better than I do.

____

Yum! Maybe I am watching too much Food Network. Yup...that's it.