For His Master's Veneration: Father Christmas Soup

Originally he was part of an unrelated and much older English folklore. Christmas had been personified for centuries.

Father Christmas first appeared in the mid 17th century in the aftermath of the English Civil War. The Puritan-controlled English government had abolished Christmas. Royalist adopted Old Father Christmas as the symbol of 'the good old days' of feasting and good cheer. Until Victorian times, Father Christmas was concerned with adult feasting and merry-making.

Unfortunately this is also the season of flu's! So here slave presents a flu fighting soup with a holiday flair. Breathe in the vapors and enjoy the hearty, good-for-you vegetables and a touch of spicy meat. Serve as an appetizer to your feast or just in medicinal applications when your soul needs a hug.

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked sausages, cut into thirds

2 tbs olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 can red kidney beans drained.

1 quarts chicken broth (no salt added) (NOTE: use stock not broth)

1 can sliced new potatoes

6 ounces fresh spinach: washed, rinsed and torn

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:

Do your cutting: chop the onion, garlic, and cut the sausages. Rinse and drain the spinach.

Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat.

Cook the sausage until it has started to brown and the skin is splitting, about 7 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.

Add the chopped onion and stir for another 7 minutes then add garlic for 1-2 more minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning.

Add 1 cup of the chicken stock. This will create some steam which allows the browned bits on the bottom of pan to be released into the soup. You want this for flavoring. If you do not stir this up it will burn on bottom of pan and soup will not be so good!

Add the beans, potatoes and rest of chicken broth and bring up to heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.

Once this is hot, start adding the spinach by handfuls. It will wilt quickly down to almost nothing.

Return the sausages, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with the vinegar and pepper and stir to combine. Let cook just until heated through. (about 5 minutes)
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.