Souped Up

     We've had over an inch of snow in Indianapolis and it's been cold, with overnight lows in the twenties and highs barely breaking freezing.  So I wanted something warm for supper.

     I work later than most people and I'd just as soon get to bed early, so anything fancy was off.  A bottle of almost-homemade vegetable soup, a half-pound of ground beef and a sausage squeezed from its casing made a good start.  Preparation is easy, just brown and drain the meat, add the soup and a bay leaf and let it simmer for five minutes or more.

     The soup is tomato-based, with okra, corn, onion, lima beans (trust me, you'll hardly notice) and I don't know what all else.  The sausage was andouille, and it was a little strong for the mild vegetable soup.  Not unpleasant, but I wanted something to pair with it -- and remembered the Chicago-style giardiniera in the fridge.  That turned out to be just the thing; a few forkfuls stirred into a bowl of the thick soup added a nicely savory flavor.  (It's not the spicy-hot version of pickled vegetables -- YMMV and if you like heat, that's an option.)

     Next time, I'm going with mild Italian sausage, or even a genuine "banger," but I'll keep the pickled vegetables in mind.