Saturday, September 11, 2010

Gorgoni Italian Wedding Soup

1 large sweet onion (sliced thin & chopped), 2 stalks celery & celery heart with celery leaves (sliced & diced), 2 T. butter, 1 T. olive oil, 1/2 jar Tomato Basil spaghetti sauce, 3 cubes ( approx.1/3 cup) pesto sauce (divided), 1 bag baby carrots (cut in bite size pieces), 5 (32 oz.) cartons College Inn (light & fat free) Chicken Broth, 1 fresh store bought cooked whole rotisserie chicken (bones, fat, and skin removed, reserve chicken dripping in bottom of container to add to soup broth) cut up chicken in chunks and cover to keep moist, 2 (9 oz.) bags baby spinach, 2 heads escarole or 2 bags (15 oz. each)rinsed and cut up, 1 bunch Red or Green Swiss Chard, rinsed and cut up, steams removed, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese (divided), 1 t. black pepper (divided), 2 T. dried parsley flakes (divided), 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 egg, 1 cup quick oatmeal, 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, 1/2 t. onion powder, 1/2 lb (or 1/2 box) Rosa Marina pasta (Orzo).

In a large non stick skillet heat butter & oil, add onion and celery. Lightly saute. In a large pot empty all containers of chicken broth and reserved chicken drippings. Add cooked onion and celery, cut up carrots, spaghetti sauce, 1 cube pesto sauce, 1 T. dried parsley, and 1/2 t. black pepper. Bring to a boil and cook 25 minutes at a slow boil, covered. Next add all cut up greens (Escarole, Spinach, and Swiss Chard) melting them down into broth. Stir in reserved chicken chunks and 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Turn down on low cooking another 15 minutes, covered. In another large mixing bowl combine ground turkey, 2 cubes pesto, 1 T. dried parsley, 1/2 t. black pepper, 1/2 t. onion powder, egg, oatmeal, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Blend thoroughly and then begin making very small meatballs with a pinch of meat mixture for each meatball rolling into a ball, the size of a marble. Once all meat mixture is rolled into balls, empty (slowly!) raw meatballs into soup. Lightly press down meatballs so they are covered into broth. Cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Lastly add Rosa Maria pasta (Orzo), lightly stir and cover cooking 10 minutes. Stir one more time bringing all ingredients from the bottom up to the top and mix to blend. Replace cover and cooking 5 minutes more. Turn off burner. DO NOT remove cover. Let set about an hour before serving.

Note: for those that like more Parmesan cheese, added extra to top when serving. The Pesto Sauce recipe is found in my blog.

No comments:

Post a Comment