H&H Saturday Soups & Stews: Mixed Greens and Sausage Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

Hello Hills and Heighters! Hope this new series finds everyone enjoying fall — I tried to keep you cool and refreshed over the summer with my H&H Happy Hour Series now it’s time to take some of the chill off with my H&H Saturday Soups & Stews which I will be sharing every 3rd Thursday of the month.  I hope you follow along as I try some recipes that will inevitably make our collective neighborhoods have wonderful aromas and savory tastes wafting throughout. This month I’m going to kick things off with a little spicy soup that gets its heat from Andouille sausage and makes the house smell incredible from just a pinch of allspice.  The fall and winter greens are making their way to our market just in time for this one!

Inspired by this classically seasonal soup I found over on Epicurious, I couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen and incorporate the local greens from my own trip to the market this weekend. Without further ado, I present you with and share the recipe for this Mixed Greens and Sausage Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings.

Dumplings:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Soup:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 4 Turkish bay leaves (I used straight up organic California bay leaves)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pound Andouille sausages, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 6 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 12-ounce bag mixed turnip, mustard, and collard greens, any thick stems cut away (about 12 cups packed) (Purchased at SOTJ market)

For dumplings:
Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in milk and butter, then green onions. Let stand at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Using wet hands, shape mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, into 18 dumplings, arranging on sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

For soup:
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Sauté until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add sausage; sauté until fat renders, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, hot sauce, and allspice; bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Return to simmer before continuing.

Add greens to simmering soup. Cook greens uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drop in dumplings. Cover; reduce heat to low. Simmer until dumplings are tender and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup and dumplings into bowl.

My takeaway and tip from trying this recipe: You can break the process up to save time by making the broth and the dumpling dough a day ahead.  Then simply put the final touches together the next day — heating and cooking everything about 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.

H&H Saturday Soups and Stews is written by Forest Hill resident, Tim Vidra. It’s a monthly series of soups and stews where Tim tries the recipes he finds first and then passes them on to you with his stamp of approval. Find more recipes on Tim’s food blog, E.A.T., advocating the use of simple local ingredients and sharing tips for how to incorporate them into dishes that will impress.