Okra Tomato Corn Soup

Longing for the okra of his youth, my husband made this Cajun flavored okra tomato corn soup.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 clove garlic, minced
3 rib celery, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
10-15 okra
3 cobs worth of corn kernels (cut fresh off the cob)
3 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (we use Penzy's Cajun Seasoning)
dash freshly ground black pepper
salt, to taste

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat.

Add onion, garlic, and celery; sauté, stirring, until celery is tender.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, sliced okra, corn kernels, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until okra is tender.


Add salt to taste.

Okra is a fun ingredient that isn't used much in the Midwest. I love that okra has a star shape when sliced.

Spicy Italian Soup

From the garden, we made a spicy Italian soup, using many fresh ingredients.

1 lb Italian sausage
1 cup onion (chopped)

1 cup Basil (rough chop)
1 cup Celery (chopped)
2 cups zucchini (chopped)
3 small turnips (cubed)

2 cans diced tomatoes

3 tsp salt
2 Tbsp pepper
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a 4 qt dutch oven, cook the italian sausage and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Add celery, turnips, 1/2 cup of basil, 1 cup of zucchini and turnips. Cook on high for about 10-15 minutes, then add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining basil and zucchini, salt, pepper, vinegar and sugar. Return to a boil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread (Sourdough from Breadsmith).