Linguiça Soup

(4-5 servings)

There's a wonderful market nearby which sells Linguiça. It's a Portugese sausage made with pork, garlic and paprika. I recall seeing it years ago in Toronto, but I never came across it while in Dallas.

The Linguiça here is somewhat milder than I remember with a higher fat content. Whenever I add it to soup, I plan on leaving it in the refrigerator overnight so I can easily skim off the fat before reheating it. This hasn't been a big deal as the soup is much more flavorful the next day.

12 oz link Linguiça, cut into slices

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp sweet paprika

2 pinches hot red pepper flakes

4 cups beef broth
1 cup dry red wine

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 pimento or red bell peppers, diced

salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

2-3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Place the sausage, yellow onion and garlic into a large pot (with a tight fitting lid) over medium-low heat and cook for about 20 minutes. When the onion is translucent and beginning to color, stir in the paprika, red pepper flakes, beef broth and red wine.

Bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for about 30 minutes then remove from stove and cool. Refrigerate the soup overnight, or up to a day or two.

The day you plan on serving the soup, skim off as much fat as you can with a spoon. Add the diced potatoes and chopped peppers. Cook the mixture for about 20-30 minutes over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.