White Bean And Sausage Soup With Pepper - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. sweet butter
2 c. finely chopped yellow onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
6 parsley sprigs
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 c. chicken stock
1 1/4 c. dried white beans, soaked overnight
1 sweet red and 1 green pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. precooked turkey sausage
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Melt butter in a pot. Add onions, carrot and garlic; cook, covered, over low heat until vegetables are tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes. Add parsley, thyme and bay leaf; pour in the stock. Drain the beans and stir them into the pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until beans are very tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Pour the soup through
a strainer, reserving the stock. Discard the bay leaf and transfer the solids to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade or use a food mill with a medium disc. Add 1 cup of the cooking stock if using the food processor and process until smooth. Return pureed soup to the pot and stir in additional liquid, 2 to 3 cups, until soup is of the desired consistency. Cut away stems and ribs of the peppers and dice them. Heat olive oil in a small skillet; add peppers and saute over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender but still crunchy, about 15 minutes. Transfer peppers to the soup with a slotted spoon. Skin the kielbasa if necessary; dice it and add it to the soup. Set over medium heat and cook, partially covered, until heated through, about 15 minutes. Season to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.