Zuppa Toscana

♫ ♪ "Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it's rather safe to say...
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day, today
It sounds that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today" ♪ ♫

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

It's been a rather blustery day today in the AV and all day long it's felt like a soup kind of day. While at the grocery store in search of all things green, I found some really beautiful and vibrant red chard. I couldn't wait to use the chard in some form for dinner and this soup came to mind.

I wouldn't call it a copy cat recipe because it's not exact, but this soup is loosely based on the soup by the same name at that Italian-American restaurant we all know and love with the grapes in it's logo. Which is really an odd choice for their logo considering the name speaks of olives in a garden. ;)

What You'll Need:
1lb. sausage
1 large baking potato, diced into bite size pieces
½ large onion, diced
1 large garlic clove
2 cups swiss chard or kale, chopped (vein removed)
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 Tbs flour
salt and pepper to taste

What You'll Do:
Break up the sausage and place in a large sauce pot over med-high heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage begins to brown.

While the sausage is browning, chop and dice the onion.
Add to the sausage.
Add minced or freshly pressed garlic clove.
Cook, stir occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.

While the onion and sausage are cooking, chop the potato and add to the pot.
Stir to incorporate and cook for 1-2 mins over med-high heat and reduce heat to low.

While the potato is cooking, wash and chop the chard, removing the vein.
Stir all ingredients and add the chicken broth and 1 cup of milk.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, make a 'slurry' with 1 cup of milk and 2 Tbs. flour.
You can use a 'blender cup' or just blend it together in a cup using a fork or small whisk.

Increase heat back up to med-high and add the slurry to the soup.
Bring to a boil.
Once the soup reaches a boil it will thicken slightly.
Cook and stir for 1-2 mins until soup is thick and bubbly.
Serve hot!

Sweet Sausage and Basil Spaghetti Sauce

 It's my dream to someday travel to Italy and experience the culture, the different cuisines, and the flavor influences of the different regions.  I could eat Italian several days a week and not grow tired of it. My oldest daughter is the same way. The child could eat pasta for every meal and still want more!

One of my "go to" meals on a regular basis (at least once every other week, or so) is pasta and meat sauce.  At home it's just referred to as "red sauce." We also enjoy my famous "white sauce" (Alfredo) pretty regularly as well. Sometimes on the same night!

I quit buying bottled spaghetti sauce a long time ago. Probably about the time I was home with my, then infant, daughter Madison. I had plenty of time to do "nothing" everyday while I was sitting and nursing her every 2 hrs. I found myself watching a lot of cooking shows and remember discovering Emeril. I loved that show! He made "real" food that looked amazing and relatively easy to prepare. Thus began my culinary adventures in the kitchen. After a few mediocre attempts at a homemade meat sauce, I came up with a 'no fail' recipe that was easy to duplicate each time. The only change I make now is the use of sausage or not. This recipe uses sausage.

I've used different types of sausage and really do prefer the depth of flavor that sausage gives this sauce. I've used mild italian links, sweet italian links, mild italian ground, and I've even used regular old Farmer John Breakfast Sausage links because they're less expensive than other variations of sausage. This recipe uses the sausage links 'doctored' with herbs.

Sweet Sausage and Basil Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:
1 - 8 oz. package Breakfast Sausage Links
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp basil (fresh, or dried. I prefer fresh but use dried as well)
1 - 1.5 lbs ground meat (I use turkey)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 (or more) garlic cloves, crushed
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 - 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1 tsp basil
1 Tbs sugar (optional)


Chop the sausage into 1 inch pieces.

Place the sausage in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and the basil. Stir and cook til just browned.

Add the ground meat and stir. Cook until ground meat is browned. Add chopped onions and pressed garlic. I use a garlic press that I absolutely love! One of the best kitchen gadgets ever.

Cook and stir the onions, garlic, and meats until the onions begin to soften. Add the tomato paste. I want to share a little cooking trick I learned... probably on some cooking show... Open the top of the paste can and remove the 'lid.' Turn the can over and open the bottom of the can as well. Hold the can over your sauce pot and press the paste through the can like a 'Push-Pop.' Remove the lid from the paste and voila! All the paste comes out of the can without much effort at all. ºÜº

Stir the paste into the meat until well incorporated and let it simmer for a minute or so to "melt." [It doesn't really melt, but once it warms and blends into the meat it's almost like it melts ;) ]

Add the diced tomatoes and stir. Let the mixture simmer for about 5-10 mins, or until the tomatoes begin to break up. You can also use some kitchen shears to snip the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Once the tomatoes are broken down, add the 2 cans of sauce and the rest of the herbs and the sugar. The sugar is optional. In my family, we like a sweet sauce. The sugar cuts the acid of the canned tomatoes though.

Cover your pot and let the sauce simmer on LOW for at least an hour. The longer it simmers the better the flavor.