OCD Recipes Revisited: Country French Soup

As I was looking over my list of winning recipes, I was struck by a couple of things.

I used a lot of prepackaged and processed foods for these contests.   Basically because these prepackaged and processed food companies were sponsors.   🙂

Here’s a list of a few winners that were sponsored by food companies.

Texas Touchdown BBQ Pizza
I won a year’s supply of Boboli pizza crusts for this one.

Early Morning Chai French Toast
I won a boxful of Oregon Chai.    I LOVE Chai!

Crunchy Amaretto Peach Cobbler
I won two whole cans of pie filling.  🙂

Surprise Morning Muffins
I won a great gift basket (and as I recall, I almost won a trip to NYC.    Wasn’t a finalist though.  🙁 )

Another great moment was winning two (2) Martha Stewart Cooking School Cookbooks in the Hunt’s Best Meals, Best Moments contest in 2009.    The website has since expired but I will list one of the winners here today for you.   Besides, it is good soup weather.

Country French Soup

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. shredded carrot
2 c. chicken stock
1 c. water
1 c. red wine
1 quart home canned tomatoes or 2 (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
2  (14 oz.) cans white navy beans
1 medium potato, chopped (I used a red potato—skin on.)
1 bay leaf
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. . balsamic vinegar
1 lb. lean ground sausage (I actually used some Italian sausage this time—delicious!)
½ c. cream
1 T. fresh basil, chopped*

In a large stock pot, sauté onion and celery for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and carrots and sauté another 2 minutes.   Add next nine ingredients.   Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.  While soup is simmering, brown sausage.  After 20 minutes, add sausage and cream.  Stir and bring back to a simmer.  Stir in chopped basil right before serving.

*The basil bit the dust in the hoop house with the recent frigid temps, so I threw in a square of frozen pesto instead of the basil.

Aside:   I have no idea, other than it sounded frou-fou, why I titled this recipe Country French Soup.