Hot Sausage Soup

YIELD: 4 Gallons

3 cups Spanish onion, diced
3 cups celery, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
6 cups cabbage, shredded
16 cups potato, chunked
4 cups green peppers, diced
5 lbs. raw hot sausage, rope, sliced
2 #10 cans diced tomatoes
2 gals. water
1 #10 can kidney beans Tabasco, to taste
Worcestershire, to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Sugar, to taste, optional

1. Bring first nine (9) ingredients to a boil, and simmer until vegetables are cooked but firm. Skim off fat.
2. Add kidney beans and return to a boil, simmer.
3. Adjust seasonings, using sugar only if tomatoes are too acidic. Note: The soup should have some body and be slightly thickened after simmering. If it's not slightly thick, use a light roux to suspend sausage and vegetables.

Recipe fromBruce Thomas, Manager, Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA.