Zuppa Toscana...It's a Win!

Tonight was an experiment. I wanted to see if I could recreate the Zuppa Toscana soup they serve at Olive Garden. Maybe even a lighter version. It turned out very well. The entire family came back for seconds, and some for thirds. There is just enough left for me to have for lunch tomorrow!

No I didn't make the bread. It's store bought sour dough with big chunks of garlic baked in.

1 pound of Italian sausage (I used chicken, but any kind would work)

4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp (Turkey bacon would work, but won't be quite as tasty)

2 large brown onions, chopped 

3 leeks, white parts only, washed and chopped

5 cloves of garlic (BIG cloves) chopped

3 cups of Kale, chopped (you have to remove the stems first they are very tough)

8 small red potatoes, washed and cubed (I leave the peel on that's where all the nutrition is, plus it looks pretty)

6 cups of chicken broth

6 cups of water

2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes

Black pepper to taste

1/2 cup of cream

I cooked  the sausage in a large pot until cooked through,(if you use pork sausage you will need to drain the fat off), then I added the leeks and onions. Let it all saute together, giving it the occasional stir, until the onions were transparent and the leeks cooked down. While these were cooking I fried the bacon until it was crisp, then crumbled it in with the sausage and onions.

Turn the heat way down under the pan you used to fry the bacon, if it's too hot you will scorch the garlic and make it bitter. Cook the garlic in the bacon fat for just a minute or two to release the fragrance. Once the garlic is softened, drain it, and add it back to the pot with the onions. The tiny bit of bacon fat that goes with it adds flavor without a lot of added cholesterol. For those of you who don't do pork, turkey bacon, fried in a touch of oil, will work as a substitute. 

Add everything else but the cream. I didn't include salt in the recipe, the bacon and sausage both have salt in them. Cover it and simmer on medium low until the potatoes are cooked through and the flavors start to meld, about 30, 40 minutes. Right before serving add the 1/2 cup cream, give it a good stir. A little fresh ground black pepper on top, and it's ready. 

For those of you who keep kosher, it's pretty darn good without the cream added, but if you're not, it great with it. That small amount of cream adds just enough richness to make the soup absolutely delicious. This one is definitely a keeper.

Matriciana Pasta

This recipe is from the magazine Super Food Ideas.

1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
8 rashers bacon, rind removed and chopped
2 x 400 grams (about 14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
575g (about 20 oz) jar tomato pasta sauce
pinch caster sugar
625g (about 22 oz) fresh beef or cheese ravioli

1) Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Cook stirring for about 3 minutes or until just tender. Add chili and bacon. Cook for about 3 minutes or until bacon is lightly golden.

2) Add tomatoes and pasta sauce. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly. Taste and season with sugar (helps reduce acidity in tomatoes), salt and ground pepper.

3) Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water, following packet instructions, until just tender. Drain and return to saucepan.

4) Add pasta sauce to saucepan with the ravioli. Toss over low heat until well combined. Spoon into bowls and serve.

Herbed Garlic Bread

1 loaf Italian bread
1/2 cup softened butter
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Parsley or Basil (or both if you want)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the butter, garlic and herbs together in a blender or food processor if you have one. If not, then let the butter sit out until its very very soft and mix them all together with a fork. Cut the Italian bread down the middle length-wise so that you have a top half and bottom half. Spread the garlic butter on the inside of both halves and then sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top.

If you like soft garlic bread, put the pan in the oven on bake on a medium temperature until the butter and cheese is melted and the bread is nice and hot. If you like it crispy on top, then put it in the broiler on medium until it's nice and golden brown on top. Then just cut it into slices and serve.

Use this Simple White Bread recipe to make your own Italian loaf.

Cheese & Spinach Lasagna

2 boxes lasagna (I like to get the no cook ones)
16 oz (500g) tub of ricotta cheese
8 oz (250g) tub of cottage cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Fresh Spinach
Parsley
Pasta Sauce
1 pound (1/2 kilo) Mozzarella cheese

If you're using the lasagna noodles that have to be cooked, make sure you only cook them half way. You only want them to be just soft enough to be able to work with and cut easily. After the noodles are done being cooked, put cold water into the pot you cooked them in and put the noodles back into the pot until your ready to use them.

Next mix the ricotta chesse, cottage cheese, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese in a bowl. In a separate bowl beat the eggs well and then mix them in with the cheese. Then mix in the parsley.

Spray the baking dish you're going to use to make the lasagna with cooking spray, and then put a light layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish. Then line the bottom with lasagna noodles (just shake the water off them a bit and put them straight into the dish). Make sure the noodles are going in the same direction... and for the bottom layer don't use broke pieces. You want to get the best pieced for the bottom.

Spread some of the cheese mixture over the noodles (use half the batch), then on top of that add some sauce and top that with about half of the mozzarella cheese. Then put a layer of spinach leaves. On top of the spinach leaves do another layer of the noodles... if you put the last layer length-wise, then put this one width-wise (and vice versa). Then just do the same thing on top of this layer. Then do another layer of noodles. On top of this layer though just cover the top with some sauce and sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese.

Cover the dish with foil. At this point it can be refrigerated or frozen in preparation for cooking. If you freeze it, it will need to be thawed over night in the fridge before cooking. Then just bake in the oven on at 350*F (180*C) for about 45 minutes to an hour. It should be bubbling a bit on the sides. If the baking dish is very full, you might want to put a baking sheet underneath to catch any drippings. After taking it out of the oven, let it set for about 15 to 20 minutes before cutting and serving or it will just fall apart.

Grandma's Pasta Sauce & Meatballs

Grandma's Pasta Sauce

2 cans of tomato puree
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 jar or 2 cans of tomato paste
1 large onion diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 green pepper diced
2 cups sliced mushroom
1Tbsp sugar (neutralizes the acid in the tomatoes, so you can add more if needed)
Parsley (fresh or dried)
Oregano (fresh or dried)
Basil (fresh or dried)
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
Thyme (fresh or dried)
(Or if you can get it, there is a mixed herb pack called italian herbs... that's a nice one to add)
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the veggies in a pot with some oil on a medium high temp (not too hot or it will brown them and you don't want them to brown)... just until they are nice and hot then add the herbs and mix them in. Then add the tomato paste and stir that while it cooks for a minute or two. Next add the tomato puree and diced tomatoes and mix those in really well. Then add the sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. You might need to add some water too if it's too thick. Let that cook for about an hour or two on low, stirring about every ten minutes or so. The longer you let it cook, the better it will taste.

If you like a meat sauce you can also brown some minced beef or chicken and add that to the sauce. It also tastes great with meatballs and Italian sausage.

Grandma's Meatballs

1 pound (1/2 kilo) minced beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 egg
Parsley

Just mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. If it's too dry, just add a little water. Then spray a baking sheet with cooking oil and form the meat into 2 inch balls. Bake them in the oven at 350*F (180*C) for about 30 minutes. They don't have to be cooked all the way through because they'll finish cooking in the sauce. They just need to be browned. They can also be browned in a frying pan, but I find baking them is a lot less messy. When they're done, just add them straight into the pot with the sauce and cook for a further hour. Makes about 12 meatballs.

This recipe is great with Herbed Garlic Bread.