Patty Morrissey – April 4, 2015
I’ve always loved and tried to live the saying, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Therefore I’m not counting on luck and my strangely perfect Irish name to win this contest. I’m interested in working for it, so I too can do my part to help feed the hungry, because I can identify. People are always surprised to hear that I grew up very poor, on welfare, eating “county” cheese and peanut butter, sometimes counting on an aunt to stop by with a bag of groceries. Decades later, I’ve just retired and have been giving a lot of thought about what should be next for me. What should I do to not only have fun but to give back and help those less fortunate than I have been in my adult life.
The work I’m offering is to Tweet, Instagram, Pin, and blog about my Ireland trip, highlighting the cool sights and people I see, but also shining a light on Finnegan’s campaign to feed the hungry. I’d love to be on TCL to share this so the word can be spread that we can all do something to help. My recipe purposely includes ingredients from several countries, using the metaphor that there are hungry people everywhere.
I’d like to have some fun, see some sights, drink some beer, and make sure everyone goes to bed at night with the satisfaction of having enough to eat that day, and secure that there’s enough for tomorrow.
Wild Wandering Irishman Soup
Wild Rice
½ cup raw wild rice (yields about 2 C cooked)
1 bottle (12 oz.) Finnegan’s Blonde Ale
Sausage
1 lb. pre-cooked sausage links (Italian mild or hot, Polish, or bratwurst would all work well)
1 c Finnegan’s Blonde Ale (enjoy the other 4 oz. yourself)
Rest of Soup Ingredients
½ c chopped or shredded carrots
½ c celery
½ c chopped onion
2/3 c chopped pepper (can use any color pepper or mix of colors)
6 fresh portabella mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 T. olive oil
1 c frozen corn
1 c creamed corn
2 c Finnegan’s Amber (enjoy the remaining 8 oz. yourself)
1 c water
3 c milk
2 T chicken soup base
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. dried marjoram (crush it up to release flavor)
2 shakes Sriracha Sauce (Or to taste. If sausage is hot style, may skip it)
2 c grated cheddar cheese
Fresh dill sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook the rice in the Blonde Ale according to package directions, about 35 minutes. Drain. Simmer sausages in Blonde Ale while rice cooks. Slice and then halve or quarter slices of sausage so they’re bite sized.
In a soup kettle, sauté carrots, celery, onion, pepper, and mushrooms in olive oil until veggies are softened but not yet browned. Add all spices except dill. Add sausage, corn, water, and Finnegan’s amber and let simmer 30 minutes.
Add milk and cooked wild rice. Bring to low boil. Add cheese, allow to melt but avoid boiling after cheese added.
Ladle into bowls. Top with freshly snipped dill. Serve with crusty bread.