southern italian essentials: zuppa toscana

How To Make southern italian essentials: zuppa toscana

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  Step 1
  PREP/PREPARE
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  Step 2
  To make this recipe, you will want a good soup pot. I would recommend a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven, but I am sure whatever soup pot you own will be fine. This is a one-pot meal, so it will need to be big enough to hold all of the ingredients.
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  Step 3
  The Bacon I like the depth of flavor that the bacon contributes to this recipe; however, if you would rather not use it, you can substitute a tablespoon or two of olive oil. The Potatoes The best potatoes to use are the waxy variety, such as Yukon Gold or Red. Russets will work, but if overcooked, will quickly turn mushy. The Stock If you follow my recipes, I like to work with stocks, not broths. In my opinion, stocks give more earthy depth to recipes. If all you have is broth, then use it, but be careful about adding additional salt, because broths tend to have more sodium. The Spinach I am using frozen spinach that has been defrosted and then squeezed to remove the excess water. Fresh spinach will work here, but you might want to chop it up before adding it, and give it another few minutes to soften up. The Cream Cheese This is one of my non-traditional additions to this recipe, but I really think it adds some great flavor. You can leave it out, if you wish. The Cream and Milk If you want this to be dairy-free, leave out the cream, milk, and cream cheese. This recipe tastes great without them.
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  Step 4
  Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
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  Step 5
  Add the diced bacon to a pot over medium heat, stir, and allow to slowly release its fat, about 10 – 12 minutes.
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  Step 6
  Add the onions, then cook until they begin to soften, about 3 – 5 minutes.
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  Step 7
  Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
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  Step 8
  Add the Italian sausage, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, but not completely cooked through, about 3 – 5 minutes.
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  Step 9
  Add the spinach, then gently mix it into the other ingredients.
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  Step 10
  Mix the chicken and beef stock together, and then whisk in the flour.
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  Step 11
  Add the stock, stir, and bring to a simmer, then add the oregano and basil.
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  Step 12
  Add the potatoes, and gently combine.
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  Step 13
  Add the Parmesan cheese, and blend into the soup.
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  Step 14
  Add the cream cheese, and stir until melted into the soup.
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  Step 15
  Add the milk and cream, and stir to combine.
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  Step 16
  Let simmer, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.
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  Step 17
  Do a final tasting for proper seasoning.
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  Step 18
  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Step 19
  Serve while nice and warm, with a nice side salad and some crusty bread. Enjoy.
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  Step 20
  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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  Step 21
  Namaste’
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