2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups tomato sauce or 1 (14-ounce) can + 1 (8-ounce) can
3 cups chicken stock, available in a box on the soup aisle
1-pound ground beef, pork and veal mix (meatloaf mix)
½ cup grated cheese, Parmesan or Romano, plus more to
pass at the table
½ cup Italian bread crumbs, a few handfuls
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
½ pounds spaghetti, broken in half
1-cup basil leaves, torn or shredded
1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking
Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stock and cover the pot. Turn up heat and bring to fast boil.
While soup comes to a boil, mix the ground meat with cheese, breadcrumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 ½ to 2-inch balls.
Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to boil then stir in spaghetti, reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and balls have cooked through. Stir in basil and remove “stoup” from the stove. Serve soup with bread and cheese.
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes packed in puree
8 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed well, stemmed and coarsely
chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, garlic and onion; stir frequently, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth and Italian herbs. Bring to a boil and stir Tortellini. Simmer uncovered until tortellini is cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and simmer another 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the hot soap into bowls and top with a liberal sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
I make this soup all the time; it only takes about 30 minutes. It is from Cold Weather Cooking by Sarah Lee Chase. My picky Italian husband doesn’t like the tortellini to get over cooked, so I leave them on the side and add them as I serve the soup.
16 ounce canned pumpkin (most canned pumpkin comes in
15.5 ounce cans. I usually buy a second can and add
just a drop more.)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (not Aunt Jemima)
2 whole bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
In a 3-quart saucepan cook shallots, onions and ginger in hot walnut oil over medium heat until tender, but not brown. Stir in flour. Add chicken broth and cider all at once.
Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in pumpkin, maple syrup, bay leaves, cinnamon, thyme, pepper and cloves. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves. Cool slightly. In a food processor or blender, cover and blend mixture in 3 or 4 batches.
Return soup to the saucepan. Stir in half and half and vanilla. Heat through but DO NOT BOIL. Makes 8 cups.
A few notes: You can cook and blend the pumpkin mixture up to 24 hours ahead and chill. To serve, just heat the soup, stir in the half and half and vanilla, and heat through, but DO NOT BOIL.
Sauté onion, zucchini, carrots and celery in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes and the can of tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Add cut up potato and simmer for another 10 minutes until potatoes are soft. Add salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Serve with salad and loaf of crusty bread.
(Note: You can use any veggies you like in this recipe. Green beans, garbanzo beans, corn and small pasta like ditalini are also great).