Tomato, Sausage and Eggplant Soup - Cathy

This is a wonderful, hearty winter soup from my favorite cookbook of all time, "The Frog/Commissary Cookbook".  That's quite a statement from me as I own kind of a lot of cookbooks...(hush, you kids--no telling on me!). At any rate, I bought this book many, many years ago and I find that it is still my go-to reliable source for everything good.

I get cravings for the flavors of this soup.  It is thick, substantial and so delicious--and also works well as a pasta sauce.  If you would like to make it without the sausage, that works great too--just increase the eggplant and maybe the fennel too.

what you will need:

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 1/2 cups cubed unpeeled eggplant (1/2" cubes)

A splash or two of water

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped fennel (or celery if you can't find)

2 Tbsp. minced garlic (I use less)

2 tsp. ground or crushed fennel seed

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I use more)

4 bay leaves

1 tsp. dried basil

1 1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 lb. sweet (or hot if you like) Italian sausage with casing removed

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 28-oz. can tomato puree (I use crushed tomatoes in puree usually)

1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped (save juice!)

Heat the 1/3 cup olive oil in a 4-5 qt. saucepan.  Add the eggplant, a splash or two of water to help get it softening, and 1/2 tsp. of the salt.  Saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until just tender.  Transfer the eggplant to a bowl.  In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil.  Add the onions, fennel, garlic, fennel seed, pepper, bay leaves, the remaining 1 tsp. salt, basil and thyme.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes.

Add the sausage and saute 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a spoon.  Add the chicken stock, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes with their juice, and the eggplant.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.  If the soup seems too thick, add more chicken stock.  Remove the bay leaves and serve.

It is always nice to have a kitchen helper around for anything you might spill on the floor.  She is very dignified in her Pink Piggy Bib.  Bit of a drooling problem.  But we don't hold it against her.

Mmmmm...steamy, filling and so very yummy!