Portuguese Soup

Recipe:

Nothing is quite as comforting as a hearty and spicy soup during the cold winter months. Portuguese Soup is most definitely a favorite in our home. Chunks of good sausage stewed with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and specked with dark kidney beans, creates a delicious combination for a perfect winter soup. Accompanied by warm cornbread spread with butter, this dish will most certainly become a most-loved comfort food during the frigid months. Let's get started!

Supplies:

Wood Fired Pizza Oven
Dutch Oven

Ingredients:

1 link polska kielbasa sausage sliced (preferably spicy)
Half a cabbage chopped in bigger chunks
4 carrots cut on the diagonal
5 celery stalks chopped
4 red or white potatoes quartered and sliced
2 medium onions chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
425 grams or one 15 oz can dark red kidney beans (you can soak dried beans overnight)
800 grams or one 28 oz can diced tomatoes
900 grams or 32 oz chicken broth
100 grams or 3.5 oz wine
Extra water if necessary
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper paste
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat the cast iron surface.
Coarsely chop the celery, onion, garlic, potatoes and cabbage.
Cut the sausage and carrots into diagonal slices.
Drizzle olive oil into a preheated dutch oven. Add the onions and sauté.
Once the onions have become translucent, add the celery and stir in.
Spoon some cayenne pepper paste into the dutch oven, as well as the crushed garlic, and give it a stir.
Add the sausage to the dutch oven, and allow it to mix with all the other ingredients for a few minutes.
Pour in the wine and and let it "SFUMARE" or cook out.
Once the wine has cooked out, place the chopped cabbage into the pot until it slightly wilts. When the ingredients just begin to stick to the bottom of the pot and caramelize it is time to add the rest of the ingredients.
Add the carrots, potatoes and crushed tomatoes to the stew.
Pour in the chicken broth and allow everything to come to a gentle boil. Cook about 20 minutes.
Finally mix in the dark kidney beans and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. If too dry, add additional water or broth.
The soup is ready to be served and is delicious with hot cornbread. Enjoy!