Turkey's Minestrone

Minestrone (min eh stroh' nee)  is an Italian soup with pasta and/or beans.  There is no 'classic' version; the specific ingredients are left up to the Creator and the creator; whatever is in season or on-hand is what's in the recipe.The inspiration for this version is my Grandpa Tarquinio, whom everyone affectionately referred to as 'Turkey'.

My much-faded memory of him is of a smiling, gentle spirit with a twinkle in his eye, and nothing but love in his kind heart. Here he is with my Grandma Delfina and baby me! 
Turkey Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
small jar of sundried tomatoes, diced into small pieces
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup (or more) panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
3-4 tablespoons dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
salt and pepper to season
In a large mixing bowl, gently combine all ingredients, stirring with a fork to make sure each is well distributed. Use a small scoop to measure, then roll into small turkey meatballs. Place on a cookie sheet, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to firm them up.
Bring at least 3 inches of water to a boil in a stock pot.  Submerge turkey meatballs in small batches until just cooked through.  Once they begin to float, they are usually done.  Do not overcook.
Soup and Serving Ingredients
1/2 pound of pancetta, cut into small chunks
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4 medium carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 32 oz of chicken or turkey stock (I cheated here)
4 oven roasted tomatoes (I did not cheat here)
1 cup cooked pasta, such as ditalini or orzo
fresh mozzarella balls
In a large stockpot, saute the pancetta until crispy. Remove the cooked pancetta and reserve the oil. Add the diced onions to the oil, and cook for several minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic, and saute for one minute. Then add the diced celery and sliced carrots. Pour in the chicken or turkey stock and simmer for approximately one hour.
To Serve:  Ladle the soup into a bowl. Add oven roasted tomatoes, pasta, turkey meatballs and mozzarella balls. Garnish with pancetta and sage.






 

Lentil Soup

Lentil Soup is a workaday soup.  If Italian Wedding Soup invites you to a celebration, Lentil Soup says 'Stay home', or 'there's a storm coming' or 'Uh-oh, the Discover bill from Christmas came today'. This traditional winter staple is served as a meal accompanied by crusty Italian bread for dunking and helping you to enjoy every last lentil. Grazie to Bruna Danese of Chicago for sharing her recipe.  This recipe makes four generous servings.

Ingredients

1 cup  dried brown lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
1  14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2  tablespoons olive oil
2  cloves garlic, finely minced
1  medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of chopped celery, including leaves
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, added just before serving (a sprinkle of parmesan cheese is nice, too)

Pour lentils in a bowl, cover with water, and allow to sit overnight.
Over medium heat, cook onions in the olive oil in a large soup pan. Add celery.  Once celery begins to soften, add garlic, tomatoes, vegetable stock and bay leaf. Pour in DRAINED lentils.
Bring to boil, reduce heat, and allow soup to simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove and discard bay leaf, then add vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.

Italian Wedding Soup

This is the perfect soup.  Italian Wedding Soup is a special occasion soup. It's earthy, it's provocative, it's special, it's basic....and it happens to be my husband's favorite. Truth be told, the name is a mixed-up American translation of the Italian 'Minestra Maritata', literally Married Soup, meaning that meat and green vegetables go well together.  Hmmm. Let's go with the more romantic connotations of celebration and romance. This soup is truly a multi-step labor of love, and everyone you share it with will taste that. Grazie, Zia Elia.


One Whole Chicken   (preferably organic)
Celery, one full bunch, including leaves
Carrots, approx one pound
Yellow cooking onions, two small or one medium
Tomatoes, four whole ones
Endive Lettuce, one head
10-12 cups of water
Salt and pepper
100 Mini-meatballs (recipe follows)
2 whole eggs (preferably organic)
Pecorino-Romano cheese, freshly grated

To make the soup:

Rinse the chicken very well under cold water for several minutes.  Pat dry, cut into pieces, remove all skin.
Wash celery thoroughly.  Cut the entire bunch into thirds.
Cut carrots by removing tops and 1/2" from the bottoms, then cut in half horizontally. Cut onions in fourths.
On the bottom of a large, heavy duty stockpot, layer some of the vegetables. Place the chicken in the center.  Season the chicken generously with one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place the rest of the vegetables, including the tomatoes, on top of the chicken. Pour in approximately 10-12 cups of water.
Place a lid snugly on the pot, and bring to a boil. Once the pot is boiling, remove the lid, skim the little white bubbles, and lower heat to a gentle simmer.  Simmer, uncovered, on top of the stove for two hours. Continue to skim throughout the cooking process. After the two hours, remove from heat and strain the soup.  Return the strained, delicious broth to the pot (wiped of any sediment) and put it back on the stove on low heat.

To prepare the lettuce:  cut in quarters and remove core. Dunk leaves into vigorously boiling water until soft.

A few minutes before you are ready to serve the soup......crack two eggs into a small bowl. Beat vigorously with a fork. As the prepared broth comes to a simmer, quickly pour the beaten eggs into the soup and stir with the fork, to disburse the egg throughout the soup. The eggs will cook very quickly, in just a couple of minutes. Now add the drained greens and the cooked mini-meatballs.  Sprinkle with pecorino-romano cheese and enjoy.

Ingredients for Meatballs:

1 lb   ground chuck
1/4 lb ground pork
3 small cloves of garlic, minced
1  egg
1/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to season

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients. Using a small ice cream scoop to help keep them uniform, make the mini-meatballs. Think happy thoughts, roll them between your hands, and place on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate them for a few minutes to firm them up.  You can also do this by putting a few drops of white vinegar on your fingers as you roll.

To cook the mini-meatballs: in a small stockpot, bring three inches of water to a vigorous boil. Carefully place the minis in the boiling water in batches. Let them cook for 5-10 minutes.  Meatballs should be tender and cooked through.  Light brown outside and no pink inside.












 

Split Pea Soup:a la Marcy and Mrs Wagner

Aunt Marcy tells us:  'Mrs Ann Wagner (nee Dolce) was a neighbor and good friend to my mother, Ada. They spent many days cooking and baking together.  Although Mrs Wagner didn't speak Italian and Mom didnt speak English, they communicated via cooking'.
 Mrs. Wagner passed away just this past year, and Grandma Ada has been gone for over thirty years, but their shared love for each other and taking care of their families are as close as your stock pot.
Ingredients:
2   quarts water ( I used chicken and vegetable stock)
1   ham bone (mine was from our Christmas ham)
1   pack of split peas (approx one pound)
1/2-1 cup chopped carrots
1/2    cup chopped onions
1   tablespoon parsley (I used 2 tablespoons fresh)
1   small can of tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound small pasta

Boil in large pan all of the above ingredients.
Cook 2-3 hours over slow heat, stirring occasionally.
Remove bone, peel to remove any pieces of cooked ham and return to the soup. 
Cook pasta in separate pot.  Drain well and add to finished soup.

If you have a little time....first, saute onions in two tablespoons of olive oil until translucent.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic and stir for one minute. Add carrots and saute them together with a pinch of dried oregano before adding other ingredients.