Winter Warmers: Italian Wedding Soup

When I lived in New York state, I worked for a major bank. During my training I was sent to a different part of town to work in a corporate branch in the business district. I hated every second of it, except for lunch time on Wednesdays.  I smelled it before I saw it, rich, warm, flavoursome and I asked what it was. Italian Wedding Soup they said.  Every Wednesday they had Italian Wedding Soup. It was so good, the only way I got through my few months in that job was knowing that every week had a Wednesday!

The whole family, even the picky ones have inherited my love for this soup and often beg for it after a long hike in the mountains. It really is a full meal in a bowl with protein, veggies and carbs all covered.

I've tried many recipes over the years and nothing has compared to that little canteen. Eventually I had to reconstruct my own version. Some recipes use kale, some use spinach, either would work fine, I use spinach because it's easier to find here, but go with whatever works for you.  If you can't get Italian sausage, use normal sausage and add some ground fennel seeds, chilli and Italian seasoning to the meatball mix and you will come pretty close! A perfect meal for these cold wintery days.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs-

• 1 lb Italian sausage meat (remove casings from alb of sausage)
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• handful parmesan
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• salt, pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form small one inch meatballs. Brown in a 200C/400F oven for about ten minutes. 

For the soup-

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3-4 litres chicken stock
• 1 cup small pasta shapes (orzo or risini work well, broken spaghetti is fine too)
• 2-3 handfuls torn spinach
• Meatballs
• Salt
• Black and white pepper
• Parmesan cheese to serve

Saute the carrots, onion and celery in the butter and olive oil until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or so until fragrant. 

Pour in stock and add pasta, cook for about ten minutes then add meatballs. Allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Stir in the spinach and allow to wilt. Season with the salt and two types of pepper. Serve in big bowls with lashings of freshly grated parmesan.

Baked Ziti

I first heard about Baked Ziti when I was watching The Sopranos.  I was immediately intrigued and have tried several recipes since.  This is the recipe I've cobbled together that everyone seems to love.  I tested it out on my sister-in-law who is Italian and she said it's better than her Grandmothers which was high praise indeed.  What I love most about this recipe is the cost, it's so cheap to make consisting of basic frugal ingredients.  If you're sick of the usual bolognaise based dishes like lasagne and meatballs, definitely give this a go.

Ingredients:


For the tomato sauce-

• Olive Oil
• 1 lb Italian Sausage, removed from casing*
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 500g of passata
• 1 can diced tomatoes

For the bechamel-

• 1/4 cup (2 oz) butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• grating of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

To assemble-

• 1lb (dry weight) ziti or penne pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 cups grated mozzarella

Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F.

Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions until slightly softened and add sausage, stirring to break up.  Once browned, add garlic, sugar and oregano. Stir in passata and tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and season with salt, pepper and/or sugar to your taste.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel.  Heat butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Add butter and stir for a minute.  Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil.  Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in nutmeg and parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter and layer half the pasta, half the meat sauce and half the bechamel in it.  Repeat and top with mozzarella.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling.  Allow to stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

* If you cannot get Italian sausage, use normal Irish or herb sausages and add a tablespoon of fennel seeds, an additional tablespoon of oregano, teaspoon of basil and a quarter teaspoon of chilli flakes.

 

Weeknight Sausage Pasta

This is a really quick and easy budget-friendly family meal.  If you can get Italian sausage use it and omit the fennel and red pepper flakes, but if you're using plain sausages add them to flavour the meal accordingly.  Herb sausages work really well here, but do add the fennel seeds to get that authentic Italian sausage flavour.  This whips together in 20 minutes and the whole family seems to love it here.  I use the jarred roasted red peppers from Lidl.  They are brilliant and are great for making omelettes and quiches, but by all means roast your own if you have the time.  I serve this with garlic bread and a nice green salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients:

• 1lb Sausage, casings removed


• 1 large white onion, diced


• 2 cloves garlic, diced


• 2 large red peppers, roasted and diced


• 1 tsp dried oregano


• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds


• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes


• 3/4 cup (180ml) cream


• 1 lb dried pasta


• basil leaves and grated Parmesan, to garnish

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet until fat renders.  Drain most of the fat then add the onions.  Once softened, add the herbs and spices and red pepper.  Saute until quite fragrant.  Add the cream and garlic and simmer for a few minutes until pasta is cooked through.

Drain pasta, tip into skillet with sausage mixture and toss until well coated.   Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and torn basil leaves.

Buon appetito!

 

Parties: Full Plate Thursday, Strut Your Stuff, It's A Keeper, Frugal Fridays and Hookin Up With HoH