So what do you do with half a pound of andouille sausage, 1 chicken breast, and 8 ounces of frozen, uncooked shrimp? You make soup, of course. And that’s just what I did the other evening. I made soup. Middle of summer and all. With garlic toast on the side, it turned out to be a perfect mid-summer meal! And yummy, oh my goodness yes!

Based on a recipe I found on the Genius Kitchen site, I added some ingredients, changed the amounts here and there, and adjusted and simplified the preparation instructions. But the bones of the soup are basically from that site. (Great site BTW.)

My only regret after dinner was that I hadn’t had enough of the main ingredients to prepare a full recipe. But by all means, you can halve the recipe very easily. Just don’t blame me if you halve the recipe and wish you hadn’t. But enough about blame. Let’s get back to the “soup in the middle of summer” part.

It just came to me while I was writing this recipe preface, that I have displayed terribly misguided thinking in the past. And frankly, I should have realized my archaic opinion of serving hot soup in the summer was just that. Archaic! After all, what’s just about the first thing I discuss with our waiter, after I order my martini of course, when we go out for dinner? “What’s the soup of the day?” Winter and summer, I ask that same question. And I don’t let the temperature outside have any part of my decision. (You can just about make bet on my saying yes to any type of seafood bisque, regardless of the time of year.) So to date, why have I not served more hot soup in the summer? Because I’m a total idiot, that’s why!  

Of course there are many wonderful cold soups, but I’m going to start serving hot soup in the summer too. And yes I get the whole thing about cooking over a hot stove. But not all soups take hours to simmer, and many soups are a one dish meal. And let’s not forget about the abundance of fresh veggies in the summer. That and the fact that many soups are low in calories and easily warm up the next day in the microwave.

So my friends, don’t make the same mistake I’ve made the last 54 years of my life. Don’t wait until fall to serve hot soup. After the other evenings meal, sitting on our east facing deck, enjoying this delicious soup and garlic toast, I’ve become an advocate of hot soup in the summer. Well that, and one dish meals. (I’m not counting the garlic toast as another “dish”, because I dunk it in the soup, which clearly indicates that it’s just another aspect of the soup. Right!?!?)

Enjoy the rest of your summer. And one more thing. Please don’t leave out the green and red peppers. The soup would simply not be the same without these two key ingredients. And yes, this dish has definite Cajun influences. But there-in lies its basic appeal. I need say no more!

• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced into 1/3-inch pieces (I use Johnsonville Andouille Smoked Sausage – not too spicy)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces  
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. uncooked lg. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lg. yellow onion, chopped 
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped  
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped   
• 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes (Italian canned tomatoes are best)
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. dry white wine
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. dried oregano 
• 2 tsp. dried thyme 
• 4 tsp. sweet paprika (preferably Hungarian paprika)
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes  
• Garlic Toast, opt. (see recipe below)

Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a large covered soup pot. Sauté sausage until browned on both sides. Remove from pan and transfer to a small bowl.

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the pan and sauté until completely cooked. (Don’t over-cook.) Transfer chicken to another small bowl and set aside.

Add shrimp to the pot, and sauté just until fully cooked. Remove from pan and add to the bowl with the cooked chicken. Set aside to cool. Once cool place in refrigerator until needed.

Meanwhile, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, onions, peppers, and celery to pot; sauté for 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft and beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Return half of the cooked sausage to pot. Stir in the canned tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer for 60 minutes.

After 60 minutes, add the remaining cooked sausage, chicken, and shrimp to the pot and simmer about 3-4 minutes or until the soup has come again to a hearty simmer. Adjust seasoning, and serve with garlic toast.

GARLIC TOAST   

• 4 T. unsalted butter (½ stick), room temperature
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ of a crusty Italian or French baguette, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into serving size pieces

Place the butter, garlic, parsley, and salt in a small bowl and mix with a table fork until well blended. Place the bread on a baking sheet, crust side down. Spread the butter mixture evenly over all of the pieces. Bake the bread in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the top is a very light golden brown.