Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

3/4 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1-3/4 cups water

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2-1/4 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dash crushed red pepper flakes

Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

2. Add tortellini; return to a boil. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until almost tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes. Cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted and tortellini are tender. Serve with cheese if desired.

Freeze option: Place individual portions of cooled soup in freezer containers and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth if necessary. 

Ginger Barnett, New Iberia 

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Butternut Squash and Andouille Soup

2 pounds pre-cut butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1/2 pound of andouille sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter

1 32-ounce container chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon dried cardamom

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 to 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Salt to taste

White and red pepper to taste

Several fresh sage leaves

Heat olive oil and butter in heavy stock pot. Sauté onions for 4 to 5-minutes. Add butternut squash to onion. Add salt and sauté over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until beginning to get soft. While squash is cooking, mince 2/3’s of the andouille in food processor. Cut the other 1/3 sausage into thin rounds. Add minced andouille and garlic to squash mixture and sauté for 2 to 3-minutes. Add all of the chicken stock, cardamom and pepper and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook for 30 minutes or until squash is tender. 

While soup is cooking, sauté sliced andouille in a skillet for a few minutes to render fat and then drain on paper towels. Puree squash mixture in food processor blender in batches until smooth and creamy, or use an immersion blender. Return to pot and add cream and parsley. Heat gently for 5-minutes being careful not to boil. Adjust seasonings. 

In a small skillet, heat about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium. Fry very dry sage leaves for 3 to 4-seconds. Remove slices of reserved andouille and top with a couple of fried sage leaves. Serve soup as a first course or as a main course with a salad and lots of bread. Servings: Four main course servings or six to eight fist course servings.

Maureen Doerle, New Iberia

 

Branton’s Chicken Soup

1 large chicken leg and thigh, cooked and chopped

Chicken stock from prep or packaged, depending on desired thickness of soup

2 to 3 stalks of bok choy, chopped large, separate in piles of stem and leave sections

5 to 7 Brussels sprouts, cleaned and quartered or cut in half maintaining the core on pieces

Several water chestnuts, chopped

Capers, as desired, no salt needed

1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 green onions, chopped

Mr. C’s Alkaline Seasoning

Bake, roast or boil chicken and remove to cool and debone, reserve liquid in soup pot. Add chicken stock to balance the vegetable/meat ratio to your preference. Add Brussels sprouts, bok choy stems, water chestnuts, capers and garlic boiling gently until tender. Add leaf portions of the bok choy and chicken pieces last, they only need to wilt. Taste and balance seasonings with stock or boil down, as needed, makes 2 servings.

Vicky Branton, New Iberia