A Bowl of Goodness

John is one of my dearest and oldest friends. We met about 30 years ago at an International Folk Dancing class that his wife was teaching at the time. We all hit it off right away and years later, when the couple parted ways, John and I became movie buddies, soccer buddies and just plain good friends. For the past five years we have had season tickets to the San Jose Earthquakes soccer matches and are looking forward to next year’s season in the new stadium. Today he is struggling with chemotherapy treatment and one of the few things that seem to taste good and satisfy him is my homemade vegetable soup. Since John is mostly a vegetarian, when I make it for him, I use vegetable broth for the liquid. As John and I were enjoying a “bowl of goodness,” as he puts it,  I said, “Say, this is really good! I should make a pot for Lexi and myself sometime!” He sputtered and gave a loud laugh. "You mean you've never made it for yourselves?" It was good to hear him laugh out loud. 

Tonight is Lexi’s night class so even though it is 78 degrees outside, I’m going for it. Lexi and I are not a vegetarians so I do use meat but if you are a veggie person just leave the meat out. I don’t really have a recipe, per say, so what follows is a loose translation of how I make it.

The beginning of a Bowl of Goodness

                           My “Bowl of Goodness”
                                 Vegetable soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium to large carrot, chopped
6-oz. (half) turkey Polish kielbasa sausage
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 32-oz. container any unsalted broth you wish (chicken, beef, vegetable, etc.)
    If you want a soupier soup add an additional 14.5-oz. can of broth.
1/4- lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1-1/2’ lengths
2 small new potatoes, cut into 1” chunks
1 carrot, sliced
1 zucchini, cut into 1” pieces
1 yellow crooked neck squash, cut into 1” pieces
About 1-1/2 cups shredded or finely sliced cabbage
1 can any kind of beans that suit your fancy (black, great northern, pinto, red kidney, canellini, etc.) rinsed and drained.

In a large pot, over medium heat, saute the first 8 ingredients until soft, and the sausage is browned. Add the broth, can of diced tomatoes, potatoes, carrot, zucchini, and yellow squash, stirring to release the browned bits on the bottom. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until vegetables are almost done.

That handy little sieve again!

Then add the cabbage and can of rinsed and drained beans. Simmer until cabbage is tender, about another 5-7 minutes. Taste for seasoning; add salt if needed.

Chock full of veggies!

As I said earlier, this is a very flexible recipe so you can use any meat of your choice and add any vegetables you really love. This soup is chock full of veggies and even better the next day so it’s a good thing it makes plenty. 
Top with whatever you like: croutons, parmesan cheese, roasted pumpkin seeds, etc, but be sure to serve it with a loaf of hearty, crusty bread to sop us every delicious drop.