Tortellini Soup

This is Recipe #2 of the January "Soup Series."  It is one of our family favorites (again) from my Aunt Kathy and it is sooo good and simple.  What I love most about soups/stews is that yes there is a lot of variety and fun you can have with making them, but most of all you use very few dishes, making clean up a cinch.  

I made a few changes in the recipe including the addition of pancetta, using both beef and veggie broth, a jalapeño, and a few other spices to add some more flavor.  Otherwise this recipe is perfect and will feed an army (ok well 4 easily), I made the full batch and have a bunch of leftovers (YAY!)  Enjoy this Just Good Food with a good loaf of bread and some fresh parsley and parmesan to top off the soup!

Recipe:

1 lb of italian pork sausage (spicy or mild)

4 cloves of garlic

3 oz pancetta (chopped bite size)

1/2 cup red wine (better than water obviously)

5 1/2 cups split between beef and veggie broth

A 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

A 8 oz can of tomato sauce

3 carrots (peeled and chopped bite size)

2 zucchini (sliced and halved)

1 green bell pepper (chopped bite size)

1 jalapeño (optional, tiny pieces)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp oregano

1 tsp red pepper flakes

sprig of fresh basil leaves

S&P

8 oz cheese tortellini

olive oil

parmesan (grated)

fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, pour in some olive oil and set at medium heat and brown the garlic gloves and add the sausage links and chopped pancetta (remove the casing but don't break apart the sausage just yet).  Once the meat is browned, remove and chop into bite size pieces.  

To the pot, add the broth, wine, tomatoes, carrots, dried basil, oregano, S&P to taste, tomato sauce, and the meat once it's chopped.  Bring this to a boil and let simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes (you want the veggies fairly soft but not mushy).  Drain the fat and stir in the other ingredients (zucchini, jalapeño, green pepper, and tortellini and fresh basil leaves)

Then simmer covered for 20-25 minutes (wait for the noodles to cook and everything to come together).  Don't simmer too long otherwise you will reduce the liquid too much, remove basil leaves when done.  Sprinkle with parmesan, S&P and Serve!

Tomato Soup

January starts the beginning of a variety of comforting, hearty, and healthy soups and stews!  Ok it may not be in the negatives yet or even freezing yet but winter will be upon us before we know it.  My mom makes this soup and is one of our family favorites; from a vegan cookbook called the Fexitarian Table and you will love it too. 

The soup is not a traditional "American" homemade tomato soup with milk and lots of tomatoes, instead this recipes requires lots and lots of onions (4 cups ahh!)  but surprisingly does not have a oniony taste (it tricks you kind of like French onion soup).  

This soup is also very easy however, requires a few kitchen tools including a food processor or blender and fresh organic ingredients (don't try and prove me wrong because you will be sorry).  Otherwise this just takes time, about an hour or so, but it's well worth it.

Enjoy this Just Good Food and serve soup with a nice loaf of french bread, and make it fancy with some cheve goat cheese on top (means French) and make a big batch because you'll want it over and over again!

Recipe:

3-4 white onions (about 4 cups thinly sliced)

4 cloves of garlic (peeled only)

1 medium carrot

2 Tbsp tomato paste

28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

2 cups vegetable stock (use veggie stock, will have a richer flavor)

2 2-inch strips of orange zest 

A sprig of fresh sage

1/3 cup olive oil

Sea Salt

1/2-1 ted red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat add add the onions and a pinch of sea salt and cook until onions are softened (about 5 minutes).  Continue to stir the onions during this process so you don't brown them.  Add the garlic cloves, peeled carrot and red pepper flakes lower the heat to medium low and cover.  Let sit for about 15 minutes until the veggies are nice and juicy but keep an eye as you don't want the veggies to dry out (if so add a little water).

Next, add the tomato paste and cook into the onions for a couple of minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes (juice and all), vegetable stock, orange zest, and sage and let simmer (medium low heat) and let sit for about 15 minutes and let flavors blend together.  

Remove the pot from the heat and discard the orange zest and sage (make sure to do this!).  This is when you need the food processor (or blender), as you will need to puree the soup in batches (it won't all fit in one batch).  Puree until smooth and season with more salt and fresh black pepper.  Reheat before serving and remember the crostini to go with it.  

Serve with red pepper flakes sprinkled on top and a little bit of orange zest for presentation.