Fall does that. It brings out my interest in cooking. We are not big on grilling. It seems that we have not taken the time to get to the point where we have enough knowledge about grills to have them be user friendly. So, I’m always ready to leave the era of salads and hamburgers and get back to REAL FOOD! lol
Last night I made an Italian Sausage and Orzo soup that was to die for! You cook the sausage, crumbling it up into half-inch or smaller pieces. Remove the sausage from the pan and wilt carrots, onions, garlic, and celery, adding a tablespoon of olive oil if necessary. Add 28 ounces of diced tomatoes, six cups of low-sodium chicken broth and a quarter cup of fresh chopped Italian flat-leafed parsley, and simmer. At this point your kitchen should smell fabulous!
I went out to harvest basil and parsley from my herb garden for this soup, which may be part of the reason I enjoyed it so much. You add the sausage back into the broth, and season to taste with fresh ground pepper and sea salt. While the soup simmers, boil half a cup of orzo in a separate pan.
To serve, we put a little of the orzo into the bottom of a generous soup bowl, and then ladled soup over the orzo. I cut the basil into fine strips and sprinkled it over the soup just before serving. Dear Husband added fresh grated Parmesan and thin slices of three-cheese semolina bread to complete the meal. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, it smelled, and tasted, fantastic!
If my quilting bee wants to do a soup supper this coming February, I think this is one of the soups I’ll offer. My soup reputation will spread far and wide! *G*
Arrrgh!!!
It's just my state of mind!
sounds wonderful…i can smell it from here! btw buffy, what’s orzo?
Oh Buffy…you put me to shame with all your interest in cooking. I love reading about all the wonderful things you make and plan to make. You’d think it would inspire me to do the same, but I find myself going the other way. I guess when there’s only one person to cook for….it’s just not the same. Besides, I’ve never been the wonderful and inspired cook that you are to begin with. I cooked because I had to feed a husband and four kids…now, it’s just me, and I’m taking every short cut I can. But I live vicariously through you, so keep it coming sweetie…..much love to you….. ~Joy
bod, the aroma is Sooooooooo wonderful! It’s just the perfect sort of thing to have for dinner in the fall, after you’ve been working outside in the crisp air.
Orzo is a tiny pasta that’s just a bit bigger than a grain of rice. It’s flat, oval in shape, and is pointed at each end. It’s great for soups where you don’t want the pasta to overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. I’ve also heard of orzo being added to salads with cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Orzo, like other forms of pasta, is cooked before it’s served, by boiling it in water. If you need to freeze part of this soup, put the cooked orzo into the soup bowls, rather than into the soup.
Joy, How nice to hear from you!
I think the chefs of the world need to get to work on a cookbook of interesting food for one, that can be prepared in 15-30 minutes. I’m not asking too much, am I?? After all, the baby boomers are becoming the Empty Nesters, and we no longer have to cook in vats to feed all those at the table.
When I don’t cook for Dear Husband, I tend to eat oddly. I’ll make something interesting and then have to eat it four times, so I loose my interest. There’s only so many times I care to do leftovers, and I’m not very good about putting leftovers into new forms (like pot roast, followed by hash).
Maybe we should dine out on appetizers and dessert. Ya think?? *G*
Joy–It is hard to find enthusiasm for cooking for two, let alone for one. I can understand. Of course, for some of us, enthusiasm for cooking wasn’t there when there were more to feed! When I lived alone, I kept cheddar cheese and apples on hand. I didn’t starve.
Buffy–You know that I wish you were my next-door neighbor so that I might live off of your leftovers. *sigh*
oh me too cop car!
I wish I was better at using fresh herbs (or even dried for that matter). I have Rosemarry, Curry and Taragon in pots right now that I haven’t used at all (that isn’t true, I harvested a couple of sprigs of Rosemary just Thursday to give someone to use for her migrain).
Even the chives in the flower gardens don’t get used – maybe I should harvest and dry some for use in the winter (if I think of it).
Cop Car, and Bod, I’d love to have you as next door neighbors. I might, for the first time in my life have experienced a kaffee klatch, or at least shared a mug of tea while catching up with you. I don’t know any of the people whose homes back up to our lot, so there might be someone fun right next door that I’m missing. We’ve followed the philosophy that fences make good neighbors, rather than getting to know them.
You can bet I’d run over to visit with you waiving either a pan of brownies, or a new recipe! How could I not love a friend who will eat ANYTHING I cook??!! *G*
Bogie, believe it or not, I have to be reminded to use my herbs. I have this lovely large garden, and I’ve grown all sorts of things, but I frequently forget to harvest, or run out to get a few fresh herbs. I could do scrambled eggs with chives, or add fresh oregano to my soups or pastas. I should harvest sage and dry it, so that I can use in in the stuffing this Thanksgiving. One thing I’m good about is drying dill. I LOVE dill, so I try to make sure I get that dried. And, I try to do catnip for Ed, too.
I have a suggestion for you. Use some of your rosemary to make a tea. Steep branches of the herb in a glass jar. Strain the liquid and put it into a spritz bottle, and use it on your pet’s fur once a week or so. They’ll smell better,and the rosemary will keep the fleas and insects down. I love the scent of rosemary, but I don’t care to eat it. I use it as an antibacterial. That same spray you prepare for the pets, could be used to wash down the counters, in a stronger version.