Boston Marriage Soup

Important Update and revision follows!
 
Almost any cooking site will offer a version of “Italian Wedding Soup.” With the rapidly advancing Marriage Equality decisions, slave thought why not dedicate a soup to an early forerunner. Well at least for women, not for men. Remember even Queen Victoria changed their new sexual perversion laws, removing any mention of women. The Queen declared that no women had such urges.

The term "Boston marriage" became associated with Henry James's The Bostonians (1886), a novel involving a long-term co-habiting relationship between two unmarried women. Although he never used the term, James' sister Alice, lived such a loving relationship with another woman.

There were many examples of women in "Boston Marriage" relationships from the late 1700s to the early part of the 20th century.

Of necessity, such women had to be financially independent due either to family inheritance or career earnings. Women who were able to have a career (doctor, scientist, professor) created a new class who were not dependent on men. These women were allowed a measure of social acceptance and left alone to arrange their own lives together.

So let us dedicate this great healthy-hardy soup to these fearless social pioneers. Only this time, lets include the men too. After all Massachusetts was the first state to recognize marriage equality.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pound turkey breast fillets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 ounces smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (un-drained)
• 1 15 oz. can navy (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1 tbs Herbes de Provence, crushed in your hand

Directions

Rinse & drain the navy beans. If you are using the dried navy beans: soak them in water with a tbs of baking soda in it overnight. That will keep them from creating gas in your lower digestive tract!

Wipe out the slow cooker, cover and set on low.

Cut the sausages into 1 inch pieces. Cutting them on an angle releases more flavor when you cook.

Next cut the turkey fillets into 1 inch strips.

Heat a skillet with 2 tbs olive oil on medium heat. Stir in the cut pieces of turkey.

Cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes. At this point the turkey will be an un-appitizing shade of gray and the skillet will be filled with liquid. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and put on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Wipe out the pan, add another tbs of oil and let return to heat.

Add turkey sausage. Stir occasionally for about 7 minutes until edges start to brown and the sausages have swollen. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Return the turkey to the skillet for an additional 7 minutes.

Cook, stirring occasionally until the turkey is also starting to brown.

Add meats to the pot.

Add the diced tomatoes with their juice. Stir in the drained navy beans.

Put the tbs of Herbes de Provence into your palm and crush it with your thumb as you sprinkle in over the mix in the pot. This will help release the flavors.

Pour in the 1 1/3 cups of water and give everything a slight stir.

Cover and let cook on low for 5 – 7 hours. (or high setting for 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours.)

This serves nicely with a crusty bread that you finish baking in the oven, or a baguette.

Here is our song. Lets dance while we cook!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3G3xm1-spg

This can become a tradition with you and your friends if you like. We make our own traditions every day. Life is for us!

Important revision and update!

Warming the left over Boston Marriage soup and decided to improve it with spinach. Wow what a great difference!

All it takes is about 8 oz. of cleaned, cut up, baby spinach.

If the soup is still in the crock pot, add the greens with about 1 hour to go on the cooking. They will wilt down to almost nothing. Stir and let the flavors blend.

If you are reheating, like slave is doing here, you might add about 1 cup more of the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. 

 

Add the spinach in handfuls stirring each in. Then lower the heat to a simmer and let cook for about 30 minutes.

The addition of spinach not only enriches but also tempers the acidity of the tomatoes in the soup. This changes the whole dynamic. Slave was fretting over this for days. Something was needed and this, fills the bill!

Please try it this way

I sit enjoying the warm soup contemplating the snow and ice outside. Master informs me that the Danes have an old saying:

“No such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing choices”.

To that slave can only add this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-J_pwqoFD8&list=PLE44C51BC46FB4138&index=4

Serving my Master Indy!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon