Potato, Kale and Sausage Soup with Whisky Sour

Flu season has been very unkind to my family this year.

I'm going to work on adding more Vitamin C to our lives, but in the meantime, that soup recipe I promised.

This is our family favorite. It's easy and it has KALE. Oh, yes that leafy green veg you're constantly being told you need to eat, less you keel over and die on the spot. Here is a way to have it without feeling like you're giving in to the vegetable lobby. I don't work for celery .

And, as a special gift to you, I'm folding in a classic cocktail the Whisky Sour. Now no one will be able to accuse you of eating Kale for your health. You're just looking for another way to inject a cocktail into your life, eating Kale is happenstance.

Start by making a simple whisky sour and setting it aside, you don't have to use a fancy glass decanter like mine.

This is the time to use a mixing Whisky.

Don't grab your favourite Whisky off the shelf, this isn't the time. Choose something instead with a bold profile that can add caramel and woody notes to your soup.


This soup is very rich and hearty. The addition of the Whisky Sour helps to add some needed acidity and brightness. The sausage you choose is up to you, the spicier the better but if you end up with something milder, cause that's what you had on hand, no problem. Just add a few chili flakes. Also, you can see fennel seed here on my plate because I bought an Italian sausage, but it din't have any fennel in it.

I'm tempted to rant here but I'll try to remain calm. Canadian or American Italian sausage is supposed to have fennel seed. That's what makes it "Italian" sausage. Obviously in Italy there are other kinds of sausage, but in North America, the distinguishing flavour is fennel. It is also usually a coarse grind.

You'd think from the array of ingredients on this plate , my family would be cured of all illness for ever.

Whisky Sour Soup with Sausage, Kale and Potato
3 medium links Italian Sausage
1 lg onion, chopped
2 lg cloves garlic
1 tsp chili flake*
1 tsp fennel seed*
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 Whisky sour (recipe below)
8 C chicken stock, no salt
S&P to taste

*optional

Method
In a large pot, over medium heat, brown sausage. Remove from pan, set aside. Check oil level in pan remove any excess, leaving just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Brown onion, adding optional spices. Grate garlic directly on to onions. Deglaze the pan with the Whisky Sour being sure to scrape up all bits on the bottom of the pan. Add stock and bring to the boil. Chop sausage into bite size pieces, add to boiling stock, reduce heat to simmer. Add potatoes, cook through, then kale last. Simmer 20 mins.

+Remember to gradually add salt & pepper to each layer, don't try to wait until the end. You'll have to add too much salt to compensate. This will be particularly noticeable in potato dishes.


Whisky Sour
2 oz whiskey
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
juice from 1/2 of a lime
1 oz honey

Method 
Stir ingredients together in measuring cup, no need to chill or dilute.

I've used honey because the flavour will be terrific in this soup and it will easily melt in the heat.

Are you having a crazy flu season? What are you doing to help?

FLIPPIN' ZABAGLIONE

I love when a kitchen and bar recipe collide (it's my Jam).

This Zabaglione, usually prepared for dessert, is a delicious mix of eggs, sugar and alcohol. You can call it Sabayon if you prefer to use a french wine and to change the name according to the origin of the base alcohol. In this case I went with Poquito Moscato  from Spain, simply because it came in a small bottle. It was also on sale, as they will be discontinuing sales in Ontario, but you can probably find it in a store near you. It is surprisingly good. The perfect combination of sweet, sour and just a little fizz. If you can't find this little guy, I'd go for an Italian Moscato d'Asti to get the same effect.

No matter what country it comes from, it sounds suspiciously like a Flip to me.

There is very little distinction between a Flip and a Zabaglione. The only noticeable difference in most recipes is the heating of the eggs. But, if one consults their Savoy it will show that there are in fact hot flip recipes that involved a tempering process, which clearly would have required the use of a boiler. It's also way more difficult. As it turns out, if you first produce the egg sauce it can then be easily added to your drink with far less fuss, hot or cold.

Let's take a moment to consider how much easier it would be to serve a crowd if you have all of your ingredients ready to go rather than trying to find items while hosting your guests. If you wanted to serve this rum flip at a party, you could prepare the Zabaglione an hour or two in advance and store it in the fridge. Crack up the big bag of ice that you bought and place it in an easily accessible container with either a scoop or tongs. Choose your rum ahead of time, place a speed pour over the opening. Squeeze a few limes and strain the juice. Remember to have a jigger and strainer at the ready. Set out a few clean glasses. All of those steps can be covered in just fifteen to twenty minutes.

In the restaurant world this type of preparation is known as mise en place, or everything in its place. It allows for the quick and easy service of an item regardless of how long it takes to prepare it in advance. The Chef at your favourite restaurant does not start braising the ribs only once you order them. He uses a preset station filled with finishing ingredients and plating tools so that your dish can be executed in a timely fashion. You can use this trick when cooking for guests or to set up your home bar. It will make your party that much more enjoyable for both you and your guests.

While we're on the subject, a few more professional bartenders could be taking cues from the kitchen and making sure that everything is prepped and in its proper place at the beginning of service. It would cut down on the notoriously long wait times that mixologists have become known for. This recipe in particular would be helpful if you want to serve flips at your busy establishment and would like for your establishment to remain busy.

This usually heavy drink has been transformed. It's now light and smooth, a little sweet but not without some zest and spice. It has the layers of flavour you'd expect from a well crafted cocktail because they've been built into the cream, but with the ease of a three ingredient drink. Prepared in this manor the flip is much closer to its cousin the sour than a dessert cocktail.

Rum Flip
2 oz prepared Zabaglione
1 1/2 oz rum (white)
1/4 oz lime juice
2 drops angostura bitters


Method
Add ingredients to a shaker filled 3/4 with ice. Shake 20 seconds, strain into chilled glass. Garnish with fresh nutmeg.





Zabaglione
1/3 C Moscato
1/4 oz vanilla liqueur
5-6 drops lemon bitters
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp sugar

Method
In a glass bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer add all ingredients, mix until fluffy and quadrupled in volume. While mixing place a heavy bottom pan with 2 inches of water over medium high heat. When boiling reduce heat to simmer, place bowl over and whisk mixture continuously until thickened to hold a ribbon. Remove from heat. Chill.


Or, we could make some dessert too.

Once again, we're blurring the lines between kitchen and bar by contributing the layered flavours found in cocktails to techniques we might already know in the kitchen. We've already got our beautiful cream so why not use it for its intended purpose. Pan seared apples get a huge boost from a bottle of cider, a little vermouth and a few dashes of bitters. I went with the Bar Keep Baked Apple, so the recipe won't need any further addition of cinnamon. Instead, I opted for nutmeg, star anise and fresh ginger.

Pan Roasted Cider Apples with Zabaglione

4 medium apples (cored and sliced in large pieces)
1/2 c sugar
1 inch fresh ginger
pinch nutmeg
1 star anise

355 ml apple cider (Pommies)
1 oz dry vermouth
5-6 dashes bitters (Baked Apple)




Method
In a large (cast iron) skillet over medium heat add apples, sugar, ginger and spices. When the sugar beings to bubble add liquids. Simmer until fruit is tender but intact and liquid has reduced by half. Remove fruit, ginger and star anise with slotted spoon and continue to reduce liquid until golden and reduced by half again. Spoon Zabaglione over apples and drizzle with the reduced syrup.




Have you ever made this insanely easy dessert? Are you brave enough to spoon Zabaglione into your shaker? Let me know in the comments.