Basque Soup...

There are a number of different Basque Resturants in Bakersfield, in which the traditional Basque Soup is always served as the first dish, along with beans, salsa and fresh French Bread. When looking for a recipe on line, I didn't have much luck, so I gave my best stab at it and it turned out REALLY good, pretty authentic (to my experience) of Basque Soup! It's fairly simple, nothing frilly, but it's packed full of veggies and the added beans bring the protein to the dish. This one goes out to my girl Sampley who married into the Basque culture- cook it up for the hubby, he'll think you're an authentic Basque Chica!

After it simmers for an hour it will look like this...

I love Trader Joe's new Tomato Sauce in a carton, I am trying to limit the amount of canned goods I use, and this is a tasty alternative!

The finished product! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 small head of green cabbage, chopped

1 potato, chopped

8 cups broth, veggie, chicken or beef or a combination of any

1 16 oz tomato sauce

1 TBSP fresh Parsley, chopped

1 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cans pinto beans, drained

salsa, your favorite

** French Bread, optional but very traditional!

Directions:

Saute your onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and then add your chopped cabbage. Stir it around for a few minutes, add your broth, tomato sauce, and ALL seasonings (including the fresh parsley). Stir it all together and bring it to a boil, then reduce and let it simmer for 1 hour. That's it! I add my beans to the soup in the last 15 minutes although traditionally, they would serve them separately in a bowl along with the salsa in a different bowl and you would add them to your individual bowl of soup when it's served on the table.