Soup night again!:) Stracciatella alla Romana

It's cold! :) lol 
So....Yes, it's a soup night...again!:) 
Tonight's Roman Egg Drop Soup - Stracciatella all a Romana...
I made it without the spinach...which I sometimes prefer....
Stracciatella means  "little shreds" or "little rags"... and it refers to the strands of cooked egg that form from the method of cooking...the whisking and when the soup is swirled...  


Ingredients:6 cups or so of chicken broth (reduced-sodium preferably)2 large eggs2 tablespoons freshly grated cheese (like Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Asiago) and a bit more for serving at the table....2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf Parsley2 tablepoons chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)1 cup lightly packed spinach leaves, cut in thin strips(optional)Orzo, Pastina, Stelline or other small pasta (optional)Pinch of nutmeg (optional)Lemon Zest (optional)Salt and freshly ground black pepperA few red pepper flakes...

I will have my versison of this wonderful classic soup with a full detailed recipe  in my upcoming cookbook!:)

                                                             Click to enlarge photo...

Hope you all had a great start to the new week!
Love,
Joe 

Thank you for reading...
Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share, etc...etc...
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My Music...
Show your support...Pick up a high quality digital download of my CD..."The Godsend Sessions"...

                            

 http://joegande.bandcamp.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-godsend-sessions/id416008000

http://www.joegande.com

My Homemade Lentil Soup

I made a big vat of hearty Lentil Soup for this cold, blustery Sunday night!:)
This is one of my all time favorite healthy soups...and it tastes even better left over the next day and through the week....
All you need to is....
A dried bag of lentils, olive oil, onions, carrots, garlic, celery(chopped and use some of the leaves too), 1 or 2 bay leaves, salt, freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 can of tomatoes(you can use puree, whole peeled, crushed, paste or sauce...whatever you have on hand) or as I use, the leftover tomato sauce I have from another meal :), chicken or beef stock(low sodium preferably), water....

Saute onions, garlic, celery and carrots in olive oil until softened...
Throw in the rest.....add the water, broth, tomatoes, lentils, etc....
Simmer until lentils are tender...discard bay leaves

Add a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and/or red pepper flakes, some grated cheese(parmesan or asiago) on top to finish if you like...

Options:
 You can also add some ham, or prosciutto, sausage, soup bones, or bacon...and/or spinach or escarole too...for flavor if desired....
I will definitely include this recipe in more detail in my upcoming cookbook! :)

                                                             Click photo to enlarge...

Hope you're all enjoying your Sunday! Buona Domenica a tutti!
Love,
Joe

Thank you for reading...
Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share, etc...etc... Remember to follow or subscribe to my blog :) 

 My Music...

Show your support... Pick up a high quality digital download of my CD..."The Godsend Sessions"...

http://joegande.bandcamp.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-godsend-sessions/id416008000

http://www.joegande.com

Saying goodbye to an old friend...Trace Elliot Velocette

Said goodbye to an old friend tonight...
After many years of loyal service...I sold my Trace Elliot Velocette Amplifier...

This amp is pretty rare and was used live and on many of my recordings over the years and has been one of my secret weapons so to speak :)

For those that may be interested...

The Trace Elliot Velocette is a True Class A valve amplifier. This is an original model... made in the UK…It is 15 watts, has a custom 1x10 Speaker, powered by two EL-84s with two 12AX7 preamp tubes, point to point wiring…Racing Green Tolex, Extension speaker output for use as a head...and was like brand new w/ custom amp cover…

The amp is small, light weight and awesome for small gigs miked or not miked depending on the size of the room/venue...and it is a great recording amp….awesome with guitar effects pedals...
Killer sound…great tone…beautiful, crispy clean and also cranked up, it roars like a Vox AC30 or Marshall Plexi  with excellent sustain...and just the right amount of "break up"...
You can also get subtle, bluesy Fender Champ, Blues Junior sounds…it's an extremely versatile amp!

Some have expressed their sorrow and sent their condolences due to the fact that I had to sell this amp...and for the reason behind my decision...And I thank you all so very much...it was a difficult decision  and I was very attached to it...which many of you will probably understand and it might sound funny to some of you too..but their are a lot of memories and history behind it....and I can be that way and quite sentimental when it comes to certain things....but, I will say, 

as a general rule I do not put much stock in material items...sometimes there are things you just gotta do in life...you know? And things that are much more important than "stuff....
Maybe some of you can relate...maybe not....it's all good really....

The amp's age was questioned over on Facebook this past week...and it isn't that old really...early 1990's...but it is a custom made "Boutique" amplifier and was built/meant to be retro in style...and has a very cool look...and with it's racing green tolex covering, it is very reminiscent of the 1950's era...

I have a new page up here on my blog dedicated to gear...info, thoughts, specifications, etc...etc...
and many items are for sale...so please check it out....and get in touch if interested...

Click photo to enlarge...

 Thank you for reading...

Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share, etc...etc...

Remember to follow or subscribe to my blog to keep in touch and to stay updated on happenings....thank you!:)

My Music...

Please show your support...Pick up a high quality digital download of my CD..."The Godsend Sessions"...

                           

http://joegande.bandcamp.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-godsend-sessions/id416008000

http://www.joegande.com