Italian Wedding Soup

Soup is the perfect winter meal. It warms the soul and those loaded with veggies are super healthy! I discovered Italian Wedding Soup about a year ago at my college dining hall. One of the great things about living on campus is the unlimited amount of food in the dining halls! I was also exposed to new cuisines and dishes that I had never heard of. One day, I tried Italian Wedding Soup because the name intrigued me. After my first spoonful, I was hooked! The tender meatballs melted in my mouth and the broth was addicting. This was also the time I discovered orzo. I remember thinking, “What kind of rice is this?” Yeah, I don’t know my pastas very well.

This recipe is inspired by several recipes I came across over the web. I used a combination of pork and beef but you can use whatever meats you like including chicken, turkey, and veal.

For the meatballs:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
2 tb dry bread crumbs or panko
1 tb parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper
1 tb oil

For the soup:
1 tb oil
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 cup orzo pasta
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups fresh spinach
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine beef, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form 1 inch meatballs and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tb of oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs in batches and cook until all sides are browned. Set aside.
3. In a large stockpot, heat 1 tb of oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add meatballs, pasta, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender and meatballs are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, add spinach, and cover for 5 minutes. Serve hot with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

This soup is even better the next day! Just reheat it in the microwave or simmer it over low heat. Enjoy!

Basil Pesto

Last summer, I went on a pesto craze and made basil pesto every chance I had. This year, I finally planted two basil plants to satisfy my cravings.  Although, I am a little disappointed because Japanese Beetles have been greedily eating my basil.  After a week of harvesting, I finally had enough to make pesto!

I love basil pesto because it is flavorful, healthy, and versatile.  With the aromatic basil, nuttiness from the pine nuts, and garlic what’s not to love?  Basil also has medicinal properties, and olive oil is full of antioxidants and healthy fats.  Pesto can be a eaten as a dip, tossed with pasta, used as a pizza topping, or spread over toasted, crusty bread.  The possibilities are endless!

Here is some homemade pesto pizza!

You can stock up on pesto by freezing them in ice cube trays and then putting them in a large Ziploc bag.  This way you can enjoy pesto throughout the winter and make quick dinners whenever you want.

You can also experiment with different types of cheeses and nuts.  Walnuts and almonds are common choices.

Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
3 garlic cloves
Salt & pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp scampi is one of those dishes that I have always wanted to try but never got to. For years, I have been drooling over photos of shrimp scampi on menus, food blogs, and magazines. What I love about this dish is that it is vibrant and not drenched in sauce. Before today, my go to pasta dish was just spaghetti with a jar of tomato sauce (if you even call that a dish). Pasta with tomato sauce is classic and all, but it gets boring after a while.

I also love shrimp scampi because it is full of so much flavor. The creamy butter, loads of garlic, and the slight acidic touch of lemon add dimension to the dish. Even more, the white wine adds a unique taste to this recipe.

The white wine I used for this recipe was white cooking wine. Despite the name, cooking wines are not meant for cooking. To get the best flavors, a good quality drinkable wine is recommended. However, I was not willing to fork over $15 for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Instead, I just used a $1.25 bottle of Pompeian white cooking wine on sale from Shoprite, and the dished turned out just as delicious. I guess I will never know what I am missing out on until I try the real thing.

Speaking of wine, as I was waiting in line to check out at Shoprite, I freaked out a little bit. I remembered someone who got stopped from buying some kind of cooking wine at an Asian supermarket because she was underage. Luckily, I was able to check out with no questions asked.

Although shrimp scampi is an Italian dish, I added Chinese sausage to this recipe. I just came back from Hong Kong Supermarket and they had it on sale. Besides, I have been deprived of Chinese sausage, and this dish was the perfect excuse to eat some.  Chinese sausage tastes good with anything!

Shrimp Scampi

1 lb cooked spaghetti
1 1/2 lbs jumbo shrimp 3 tb olive oil 4 tb butter
1 head of garlic, minced
2 links of Chinese style sausage cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tb ground black pepper and salt to taste
Green onions for garnish

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta with a tablespoon of salt.
2. Prepare ingredients white pasta is cooking.
3. Salt shrimp with about two teaspoons of salt.
4. Drain pasta when done and set aside.  Add some oil to the pasta to prevent sticking.
5. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan.  Add garlic and sausage.  Sauté garlic until browned and sausage is cooked through.
6. Add shrimp in one layer and cook for two minutes.  Turn shrimp over and cook for another minute just until pink.  Do not overcook shrimp at this step, because it will continue to cook once the wine is added.
7. Add white wine and lemon juice.  Simmer sauce for about 1 minute.
8. Toss cooked pasta into shrimp and sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add green onions.