Creamy Brussels Sprout Soup with Bacon

This started as a craving for butter beans although I'm not entirely sure why. They weren't in season, there were no limas or fava beans or anything similar I could find in the local Von's that was fresh so I began hunting the frozen aisle. Finally on the shelf I saw a tag for frozen limas but the space above it was blank. My eyes combed the shelves in frustration and I came upon Select brand frozen baby brussels sprouts and felt slightly intrigued. I went back to the fresh department and looked over their assortment of fresh brussels but they were all quite large and dry in appearance so I went back and snatched 2 bags of the frozen baby cabbages.

I've never made a brussels sprout soup but felt a need to try. I had a huge bag of uncured bacon ends I bought at our local health food store and that combination seemed right. If you don't have a Lassen's and can't find this product, first look for a natural, nitrate-free bacon.

Ingredients:
6 Strips of Uncured or Nitrate-Free Bacon
1 Frozen Bag of Baby Brussels Sprouts
1 Small or 1/2 Large onion cut lengthwise with the grain so it's in strips
2 Cups of Filtered Water
2-4 Cups of Milk or Rice Dream or Chicken Stock
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper

Over medium heat in a heavy-bottom sauté pan cook the bacon and onions together. Watch them closely and keep stirring them with a wooden spoon until the bacon is cooked and the onions are starting to turn golden. Turn off the heat and carefully remove 3 strips of 4 strips of bacon from the pot, and put them on a paper towel to drain. Then add 2 cups of water and your frozen brussels sprouts, stir and cover. Cook this mixture on medium for 10 minutes.

Turn off heat and remove 2 cups of brussels sprout mixture, put on a chopping board and roughly chop. Take the rest of the mixture and blend in small batches until smooth. Return all the brussel sprouts to the pot and add the 2 cups of milk or chicken stock. Stir and add seasonings to taste. If you want a thinner soup, add more liquid. When you serve, take the remaining bacon strips and crumble on top of soup.

Other additions: White pepper, cayenne flakes, mustard powder may all be used sparingly but go slowly with these! Each takes a while to really 'appear' in full flavor in your dish and you might overdo!