Our neighbouring farmer called today, looking for any sort of meat grinder that could make short work of the pig fat she had on hand, in preparation for rendering.  I had an old rotary model that had made many shepherd’s pies in the past, and lovely lamb for moussaka.  She came over to pick it up, and arrived with an armful of Brussels sprouts from their own Jollity Farm still on the stalks.  “Do you eat Brussels sprouts?” she asked.  We love Brussels sprouts.  Roasted, steamed, sauced, and souped.  We had been working outside all day, and were ready for a hearty lunch of something.  So I made soup.  This recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to eating, so you don’t really need to plan too much ahead. 

What was she going to do with all the lard?  Candles and bird treats.  This family is fairly new to farming, and doing things like rendering lard still fit in the “fun” category.  There’s a point when you realize that there are some jobs you are glad we no longer need to do to survive. 

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Makes enough for 4 big servings

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

½ t salt

¼ t curry powder

1/8 t pepper

1 egg yolk

¼ c cream

Garnish options: a drizzle of cream, a sprinkle of paprika or a dollop of sour cream

Directions:

In a large saucepan, sauté onion and potato in butter until the onion is tender.

Add the Brussels sprouts, broth, salt, curry powder and pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup.  If you are using a processor or blender, you should cool the soup somewhat before processing.

Whisk together the egg yolk and cream; stir into soup.

Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes over medium heat (do not boil).

Serve