a bowl of warmth

It’s hard to beat a great homemade soup on a cold winter’s day. I love soup any time of year, but particularly in the winter, and this hearty winter soup is guaranteed to warm you inside and out. If you made turkey stock with the Thanksgiving bird, all the better, but store-bought broth will work here too. Pair it with warm crusty bread and your day will end on a high note. (In the picture, you may notice the soup is missing the grated swiss cheese on top. Don’t tell my family, but I forgot to add it… they will be sad when they find out, but it honestly was delicious anyhow!)

In addition to the kitchen ornament picture at the end of the post, here is a picture of a fresh pomegranate centerpiece I created for the season. To make; stack pomegranates and use a glue gun to hold them in place.  Put the “pomegranate pyramid” on the pretty tray or plate and fill in spaces with fresh bay leaves, pine boughs, eucalyptus cuttings, holly, etc. Poke cinnamon sticks in to finish. This arrangement is beautifully fresh and will dry wonderfully too.

Garlic, Potato, and Sausage Soup

2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 ounces sausage, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 egg yolks
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
Fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Place the cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute, immediately remove from heat; pour into a spice grinder and process until ground.

Place garlic, onion, broth, butter, bay leaf, sage, and ground cumin into a soup pot and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and potatoes.

Cook over on a low simmer until the potatoes are very tender but not falling apart, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Lightly beat egg yolks in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot broth, in a slow and steady stream. Take extra care to whisk continuously and pour slowly so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs, set the yolk mixture aside for a moment.

Remove the bay leaf. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half of the solids plus a couple of ladles of the liquid from the pot into a blender and puree. Return puree to the pot and add the sausage.

Add the warmed yolk mixture to the soup, and heat through, do not boil, stirring, until the soup thickens slightly.

Remove from heat. Taste for salt and pepper, adjust seasoning as needed, and serve in warm bowls with a generous amount of the Swiss cheese sprinkled over each and garnish with fresh sage leaves.

Serves 6

she is too cute – “Will work for cookies”