Written by: Roscoe |  Print this post and share it with your buddies!

Ingredients:

Italian Sausage – 2 lbs., casing removed
White beans – 1 bag dried; Navy or cannellini (as long as they’re white)
Stock – 8-10 cups, make your own or canned, beef or chicken
Celery – 2 stalks, chopped
Red pepper – chopped
Red onion – chopped or sliced
2-3 carrots – chopped
White wine
Worcestershire, Cholula, seasonings: salt, pepper, oregano, basil

A Meal In A Bowl

Some soups go with a sandwich, like Tomato with Grilled Cheese, a pretty good combo. Or chicken noodle with… well, anything. The point is, with some soups you need a sandwich. Not with Roscoe’s soup. Maybe a warm slice of crusty garlic bread, or a toasted piece of hearty whole grain, but that’s about all you need with this soup, though you may want another bowl of it.

Beans From Scratch

Unless you’re in a hurry, Roscoe likes to use dried beans. It takes a while – at least a couple of hours – for all the flavors to meld together anyway, and in that time the beans will cook up nice and tender. And you’ll be sipping a few beers as you cook anyway, so what’s the rush?

Here’s What You Do

Soak the beans overnight: cover beans with about an inch of water (yes, we use water here, notice that at no time is the burner turned on) and walk away. Keep that water level until you’re ready to cook the next day.

Make Your Own Stock, Or Not

Roscoe makes stock from any bones left over from something good. In this case, it was lamb stock from some delicious chops, and the stock came out rich and tasty. But you can use canned or boxed stock, too, just be sure to season it properly (that’s why they invented Worcestershire and Cholula). About 8-10 cups should do it.

It All Starts With Bacon

Seems like everything good starts with bacon, doesn’t it? Chop up about a half pound, let it get crispy, then dump in your Italian sausage, removed from the case. Brown it up with some Worcestershire, Cholula, seasoning of your choice, and a couple glugs of wine, white or red, whatever you like to cook with (Roscoe recommends white here).

Yes, You Can Dump The Grease

Who wants greasy soup? Sure, you’ll lose a little flavor, but you can always add more of that (see note above: that’s why they invented Worcestershire and Cholula). Add the veggies and garlic, and mix it all together. When the veggies start to wilt, add the beans (drained), then the stock.

Season As You Go

With every new layer of ingredients you add into the pot, give a sprinkle of seasoning: at least some salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer (covered) until the beans are tender, then sprinkle in some herbs.

The Hand Blender

A perfect tool for getting soups to the proper consistency. You don’t have to dump portions into a blender and then worry that the hot liquid will expand and redecorate your kitchen. Just stick the hand blender in there and stir it around until you get what you want, usually a few turns around the pot will do it, more if you want smoother soup. Roscoe likes some chunkiness, so he stops about halfway.

Into The Fridge Overnight

That’s the secret. The starch in the beans will meld with the other ingredients and thicken naturally, and the next day your soup is ready to go. Warm it up slowly on the stove, or in batches in the microwave.

Don’t Need No Stinking Sandwich

This soup is a meal in itself, all you need is some bread or crackers, if anything, because you’re…

Cookin’ With Roscoe