Turnip Green Soup

As I was making this recipe the other day, I was silently cursing Jamie Deen, one of Paula Deen’s sons.  His smiling face was beaming down at me from the magazine clipping next to his recipe for Turnip Green Soup, and his directions for the soup were lacking just a bit.  In fact, they were currently causing me to burn the bottom of my stockpot.  Things like that don’t make me happy.  As an aside, and completely related to nothing but the Deen Brothers, I always used to forget which Deen brother was Jamie and which one was Bobby, but then I figured it out.  B = Bobby is the Bachelor.  If this is something that keeps you up at night too, feel free to use my little handy trick.

Back to the soup.  I was sure it was ruined, and that was making me mad, because chorizo, one of the ingredients in the recipe, isn’t exactly cheap, and coupled with the carrots, onions, and turnip greens, it would be a complete waste to have to throw the whole thing away.  And I hate waste.  Luckily I plodded along, following the recipe through to the end, and even though the bottom of my pot showed a recipe beyond repair, the proof was in the taste.

Hearty.  Tummy-warming.  Feel good stuff from the inside out.  Now I can hear some of you shaking your head, thinking “soup is for winter!”  Yeah, I never was one of those types.  I mean, the inside of the house is nice and cool from the AC, why not soup?  And this one isn’t a stick-to-your-ribs thick one.  Although it has lots of good-for-you stuff inside, the soup itself is chicken broth based, so it won’t weigh you down too much.

It whips up in nothing flat and has been keeping me pretty satiated for lunches for a few days now.  With our farmer’s markets finally in full swing, my greens and carrots came from there, and this was the perfect use for them.  So whether or not you can tell the Deen boys apart, or just want something yummy and (reasonably) healthy that you can ladle up for a quick lunch or light dinner, you might want to give this one a whirl.

Tomorrow?  Our Summer Bucket List.  See ya then!

Project 365
June 15, 2010, Photo #111

This will be one of the recipes you’ll hear very little about when I do my round-up at the end of the month.  A Beer-Battered Fish recipe from Cooking Light.  It was fine, certainly edible, but not the end-all-and-be-all recipe to stop the search.

Turnip Green Soup
Recipe courtesy of Cooking with Paula Deen magazine, January/February 2010

1 pound Mexican chorizo (didn’t specify whether to use cooked or uncooked, nor whether to chop; I bought cooked and cut in thin slices)
3 cups chopped onion
1-1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 (32-ounce) package cut-and-washed turnip greens (I used half kale)
1 (48-ounce) carton chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I used a half teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large stockpot, combine chorizo, onion, and carrots. Cook over medium-high heat (medium is better), stirring frequently, for 7 to 8 minutes, or until sausage is browned and crumbly. (I added about a tablespoon of canola oil to keep the bottom from burning too much) Add turnip greens, and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until wilted. Add chicken broth, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 35 minutes, or until greens are tender.

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