Italian Wedding Veggie Soup

This soup is a hearty and filling dinner. It is delicious as well as nutritious. Kids like it too. They get so excited over the mini-meatballs they hardly notice all the vegetables. It is a combination of classic Italian Wedding soup and minestrone, the best of both worlds. It adapts well to variations as long as a few rules are kept. You must have very good stock, extra lean beef, fresh veggies and a few fresh herbs. The last rule is patience which is relatively easy because you get to breathe in the tantalizing aromas through each stage of the preparation. It is a large recipe that can be easily doubled for even more leftovers for the freezer that come in handy for a quick dinner. Or, freeze in portions for a healthy take-along lunch. All that is needed here is some thick slices of good  Italian bread, toasted if you like.

Stock

2 quarts of bones. For this recipe you can use a mixture of chicken and beef.  Never discard leftover bones . They are indispensable for good stock.

8-10 chicken necks, wings and feet or a combo

1 onion sliced

Leftover veggie scraps

Dash or 2 of browning sauce
4 bay leaves

Salt

Lightly oil a roasting pan or large cookie sheet . Toss the ingredients to mix and slow roast until they turn a rich dark brown. Do not scorch. When done, place in a stock pot with 3-4 bay leaves and a couple of sprigs of parsley. Add a tablespoon , or less if need be , of whole black peppercorns, if desired. Add water to reach 3 inches above the ingredients and add hot water if needed to maintain that level throughout the simmering. 

HINT : We l use a 6 quart Crock pot . We set it on low and let it cook all night. By morning, it's ready to go. Minimum cooking time on the stove is 4 hours , but longer cooking will yield tastier results.

Soup Base
3 quarts of strained stock, you can add commercial stock if needed
3 stalks of celery, sliced
3 stalks of carrots, lightly scraped or scrubbed and sliced
1 medium white or yellow turnip, peeled
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
2-3 plum tomatoes ,  chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch of greens such as spinach, radish greens, Swiss chard, kale, dandelion, or a mixture of whatever you have. We have tried all and they all work well. We like to use up all our small amount of greens for this soup.
4 cloves of pressed garlic
1/4 cup each of fresh parsley and basil leaves processed with 1/4 cup of olive oil into a pesto

Place all the ingredients except greens, garlic  and pesto into a large pot. Add the stock making sure the veggies are covered completely. Cover tightly and simmer for 1 hour. Add the greens and garlic, cook 10 minutes more. While that's cooking, prepare the beef.

Meatballs

1 1/2 cups of very lean ground beef

1 medium egg

6 tablespoons of plain bread crumbs

2 tablespoons of minced onion

1 tablespoon of pressed garlic

1/2 cup of Parmesan or 1/4 cup Romano

1/2 teaspoon of oregano , or more if you like
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
Dash  of nutmeg and a couple of drops of Worcestershire for the cooking broth

Mix thoroughly. Using wet hands, shape into bite sized balls and drop into 4 cups of simmering water to which the Worcestershire and nutmeg has been added. Poach gently for 15 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and add to the soup. Add 1/2 cup very small soup pasta such as acini di pepe to the meatball broth.
Alternatively you may add cracked barley, whole wheat or other grain of your choice, but  these must be soaked in advance to avoid soaking up all the soup. Broth level should be kept at 4 cups.

Final Assembly

Add the meatball broth and pasta to the soup along with the peas. Cook for about 10 minutes or until serving temperature. Add 1 tablespoon of pesto and stir. Serve with  grated cheese and pesto at the table along with the bread.

WHOLE GRAIN POTATO PIZZA

This is  really delicious and healthier than the regular version. There are many variations you can try with different flours and seeds. I will share some that we have tried in another post. It is moist and doughy with a heavier  texture. It is not a light and airy crust but rather substantial in nature.

The Dough
1 cup of homemade mashed potatoes, cooled seasoned with salt taste
31/2 cups of whole wheat flour, may need more depending on absorption rate of potatoes
4 tablespoons of olive oil, more for the pan
Coarse black pepper, optional but good
2 tablespoons finely snipped parsley, optional but good
1 1/2 packets of yeast, preferably  for whole grains
Warm Water as needed
1 teaspoon of salt



Stole a bite !

Place 3 cups of flour in a bowl or on a board or counter. Add the yeast that has been dissolved in about 1/4 cup warm water. Stir until well blended. Add olive oil , salt,  and optional ingredients. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Add the rest of the flour and knead until smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of additional  flour as needed.The dough tends to be sticky because of the potato. Oil a a large bowl and place dough, turning it once to oil the top. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise, covering with a towel if necessary. Let rise about 11/2 hours or until doubled. Punch down and place on floured board. Knead briefly checking to make sure dough is nice and dry. If not you may add a little more flour at this point. Oil a large rectangular pan and sprinkle with coarse corn meal. Roll, press. and stretch the dough to fit your pan evenly Cover and let rest . Meanwhile heat the oven to at least 450, or higher if you can. Check the dough by pressing the edge . It is ready to bake when your finger leaves a dent, a slight; a slight additional rise is what we're looking for here. Add your toppings gently so as not to disturb the dough. Bake in the center until the bottom is browned to your liking and the top is melted and golden brown. If the bottom should  get browned and the top needs more time, just move the pie to the top rack.

Topping
This is one of our favorites, but use whatever  you like best.

Sausage, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms and Tomato Topping

4 sausage links, pork or chicken, spicy or hot, removed from casing
1 1/2 cups of thick tomatoes. We use diced diced drained or crushed, Italian
2 garlic cloves , pressed
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup peppers, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Brown sausage while crumbling in a frying pan. When brown , remove with slotted spoon , discarding most of the fat. Add sliced mixed color (or green only if you like) peppers and thinly sliced onion. Stirring and cooking until softened. Add garlic,  mushrooms and tomatoes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
When cool , spoon topping evenly over the crust. Add cheese topping, your choice. Mozzarella is traditional, but you can try some others or combos as we do. Fontina, Provolone, Asiago are all good and can be combined as a half and half\ mix with the Mozzarella.

The Ultimate Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Club Sandwich

There are several choices to consider customizing  this very satisfying  sandwich. Make sure to
slice everything ultra thin, except the bread.

Bread

I like to use whole grain, but any  larger sliced substantial thick cut bread will do it. You will need 3 slices per sandwich, toasted.

Bacon

I use reduced sodium bacon. Use nice meaty looking slices with less fatty striping. My Mom used to use Irish bacon and when I can find it , I do too. But usually, I just make it with a good brand of bacon. You will need 4- 6 slices of drained  bacon cooked c

Tomatoes

Tomatoes should be ripe, but very firm. Do not refrigerate them as they will lose flavor. You will need about 6-8  thin slices per sandwich.

Mayo
Homemade , if possible or a good brand name . I use Hellman's or Kraft Black Pepper Mayo.
1-3 tablespoons per sandwich


Veggie Mix
Per sandwich : 1 stalk of celery, very thinly sliced
                         2-3 radishes, shredded and drained
                         1/2 carrot, shredded and drained
                         1 tablespoon of horseradish .If you don't like
horseradish, you may sub jalapeno or honey mustard.
                          A few dashes of celery seeds
                          4-6 pitted black olives, sliced thinly
                         
Lettuce

You may choose whatever you like. Many prefer iceberg for this sandwich.
There are much better choices that are nutritionally superior. We like Arugula
or Spinach , or a combo of these 2 choices.

Red Onion and Bell Pepper
A few very thin  slices per layer separated into rings.

Assembly

First prepare the veggies so they have time to drain. Wash and dry your greens unless you purchase  ready to eat. Slice the tomatoes and onion. Cook the bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel.
Mix the shredded radish, celery, carrot, and black olives into the horseradish or mustard. Add celery seed and mayo . Blend well. Toast 3 slices of bread per sandwich. Place 1 slice of toast on a plate or
cutting board. Spread the bread with 1/2 the veggie mayo mix. Add the lettuce, followed by 1/2 the bacon and then 1/2 the tomato and  green pepper slices. Add a grind of black pepper. Top with another slice of toast. Spread with remaining veggie mayo mix. Add lettuce and bacon., finish with onion slices and tomato.  Add a coarse grind of black pepper . Finish with the bread. Slice the sandwich into 4 wedges and secure with an extra tall toothpick or short skewer to secure the filling.
We serve this with a sliced orange and strawberry salad,  no dressing needed. If this is served for dinner, we usually start with a bowl of lighter soup. If you require additional protein , just top your fruit with some lowfat yogurt.