Blog Post

Soup & Wine Pairing

Jan 14, 2022

With the holidays over and the temperatures on the chilly side, it’s the perfect time to warm up with a big, comforting bowl of soup and a glass of your favourite Dirty Laundry wine. Soup, just like many other dishes, can easily be complimented with the perfect glass of wine!

Lisa Marie, our Interior Territory Manager and self-proclaimed soup expert, is excited to share one of her favorite soup recipes with you. This soup is easy to make, easy to modify for dietary restrictions or preferences, and will quickly become a fan-favorite your family and friends will be requesting frequently!

When deciding which soup she wanted to share, this recipe was a clear choice. It is rich in flavour, heart-warming, and very quick to make. No need to spend the whole day cooking when you can get home from some winter activities, pour a glass of wine and in 30-40 minutes have a big pot of soup ready for the whole crew to warm up with.

Hardy Sausage & Kale Soup

1 pound Italian pork sausage (mild or spicy) – easily could substitute for chicken or turkey sausage. Vegan/Vegetarian option I use Beyond Meat Beyond Sausage
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large white onion chopped
4-5 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus more to taste
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Small pinch of all-spice
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional-add in if you like it spicy!)
1 large bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
4 medium or 2 large russet baking potatoes diced
2 cups of chopped mushrooms
1 can chickpeas (optional)
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (to make vegan or DF use cashew cream)
Pinch of cayenne pepper for garnish

Instructions

In a large pot on medium-high heat cook the sausage (make sure you cut out of casing or buy bulk sausage meat) Break up the sausage while it cooks to make smaller pieces, stirring occasionally, until it has fully browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot and transfer it to a bowl, set aside for now.
Pour your self a glass of wine (if you haven’t already). I would suggest Dirty Laundry’s 2020 Reserve Chardonnay - the chef always deserves a nice glass of wine.
Turn the heat to medium, add the butter or oil (this is when you could deglaze the pot with a splash of white wine, if you wanted to share…) add in the onions and garlic. Stir, occasionally making sure you scrape the bottom of the pot, mixing in any of the crispy pieces of sausage using a wooden spoon is the easiest. Cook until soft and translucent about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and crushed red pepper flakes, sauté for another minute or two. Add the chopped kale in batches, allowing it to wilt down as it cooks. Add the all-spice and stir. Cook the kale for another 5 minutes until it has turned bright green and completely wilted. Throw in the sliced potatoes, mushrooms and cooked sausage.
Pour in the chicken stock or veg stock and bring it up to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the potatoes are cooked tender and soft. When potatoes are nearly cooked add in chickpeas if desired, cook for another 5 min. Taste the soup for seasoning, at this point feel free to add in any extra spice. Once your potatoes are cooked add in the cream.
Time to serve! Top up that wine, heat up some fresh bread and serve up some soup. A pinch of cayenne, and some flaky salt is the perfect way to garnish this heart-warming soup.