Eric’s family LOVES Brussel sprouts.  After my initial disgust when I first tried them, I eventually came to tolerate them when Eric cooked them.  (That took many years, many recipes and many different methods of cooking them.) I even grew them in my garden to make Eric happy.  (Must be love!)  In the good ol’ days, Eric could only get away with making them at Thanksgiving, but now I buy them on a regular basis. (Really, really, must be love!)

There are many ways to cook Brussel sprouts to make them more palatable and not so bitter.  Kelly will tolerate them with bacon, but then, she’d eat almost anything if it had bacon on it!  Andrew takes after Eric’s side of the family, and actually likes them any way they are done. I’m still a bit of a hold out. When Eric asked me to make Brussel sprout soup, I was not thrilled.  But after reading over the recipe and seeing that it also used leeks, which I love, I decided to give it a try.  Of course, I tweaked the recipe and I am quite pleased with the results.  We paired it with a hearty rye bread made in the bread maker. Are you brave enough to give the soup a try?!  I hope so!

Brussel Sprout Soup with Caraway Rye Bread

Brussel Sprout Soup (very loosely based on a recipe from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette)

Ingredients:

The feature!

• 1 pound Brussel sprouts
• 3 leeks
• 1 quart + 1 cup water, divided
• 3 cups of beef, chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 3-4 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse the Brussel sprouts, cut the end of the stem off the bottom, then cut them in half and into thin slices.  Rinse the leeks and cut off the roots at the bottom and the tough top and outer layer. Slice the leeks, keeping the white and light green parts.  Rinse the leek slices again.

Slice the Brussel sprouts & leeks.

Cook the sprouts & leeks in 1 quart of water for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Cook the sprouts & leeks in water for the first 5 minutes, pushing them down into the water if they float above the water line.

Add the stock, olive oil and the rest of the water, cooking for another 40 minutes.

Add the stock, olive oil & water and continue cooking.

Remove the soup from the heat.  Add the rice and allow it to absorb liquid for 5-10 minutes.  Add the Balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper to taste and puree the soup with a wand blender.

Blend in the rice, Balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper.

Serve with a hearty bread, like the one below.

Caraway Rye Bread (adapted from The Breadman’s Healthy Bread Book by George Burnett)

The Zojirushi bread machine requires liquids first.

• 1 cup beef, chicken or vegetable stock or water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon garlic or onion powder
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup rye flour
• 2 tablespoons powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, coarsely ground
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

Add the ingredients to the bread maker according to your machine.  (I have them listed for a “liquids first” type of machine.  If you have to add dry ingredients first for your machine, add the ingredients in the reverse order.)  Select the whole wheat bread setting (or the equivalent on your machine) and push start.  Makes one 1 1/2 pound load of awesome bread!

Enough flavor & heartiness to eat it alone!

I started eating this bread with just a touch of butter right after it was done baking.   Mmmm!    ~Linda

Brussel Sprout Soup (very loosely based on a recipe from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette)

• 1 pound Brussel sprouts
• 3 leeks
• 1 quart + 1 cup water, divided
• 3 cups of beef, chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 3-4 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste

Rinse the Brussel sprouts, cut the end of the stem off the bottom, then cut them in half and into thin slices.  Rinse the leeks and cut off the roots at the bottom and the tough top and outer layer. Slice the leeks, keeping the white and light green parts.  Rinse the leek slices again.

Cook the sprouts & leeks in 1 quart of water for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the stock, olive oil and the rest of the water, cooking for another 40 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat.  Add the rice and allow it to absorb liquid for 5-10 minutes.  Add the Balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper to taste and puree the soup with a wand blender.

Serve with a hearty bread, like the one below.

Caraway Rye Bread (adapted from The Breadman’s Healthy Bread Book by George Burnett)

• 1 cup beef, chicken or vegetable stock or water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon garlic or onion powder
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup rye flour
• 2 tablespoons powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, coarsely ground
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

Add the ingredients to the bread maker according to your machine.  (I have them listed for a “liquids first” type of machine.  If you have to add dry ingredients first for your machine, add the ingredients in the reverse order.)  Select the whole wheat bread setting (or the equivalent on your machine) and push start.  Makes one 1 1/2 pound load of awesome bread!