Zucchini & Tortellini Soup

A little late dinner...homemade Zucchini & Tortellini soup...zuppa di zucchini e tortellini...and nice crust of Italian bread & a glass of wine....

As many of you may know...I love soups....and zucchini soup is one of my favorites.
I make it in many different versions....some of which will be in my upcoming cookbook...

Hope you all had an awesome Friday & enjoy a very Happy Memorial Day weekend! 
Buon Venerdi a tutti! 
Love, 
Joe

Homemade Tomato Soup!

Hi everybody!
Hope you all enjoyed a beautiful day! :) 
Made some late night homemade tomato soup...
A dollop of mascarpone, chives, a crust of day old Italian bread & a nice glass of wine...
Oh yeah! :)
Buonanotte a tutti! 
Love, 
Joe

Homemade Tomato Soup

Click photo to enlarge...

Thank you all so much for "Liking" my post about this over on Facebook....and for your kind words...I will have this in my cookbook I'm working on for sure! I never made it before and it came out really good! This soup is pretty easy to make and delicious!

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...
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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

Homemade Manhattan Style Clam Chowder

Made a late night, giant vat of Homemade Manhattan Style Clam Chowder! :)

I usually prefer New England Clam Chowder...but this was delicious...if I do say so myself! :) lol

Which do you like better?

I think this is the first time that I have made this...it has some San Marzano Tomatoes,  potatoes, clams, celery, corn, garlic, onion, thyme.... and a few other things:)

Should I add this recipe to my upcoming cookbook?

Hope you all enjoyed an awesome start to the week today!

Love,

Joe

Click photo to enlarge

Click photo to enlarge

Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share...and remember to follow or subscribe to my blog to keep in touch and to stay updated on happenings....thank you!:)

 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

Zuppa di Pasta e Broccoli...Italian Soul Food!!

Hmmm... let's see...what do I have in the house at the moment....a box of Ziti...a bag of broccoli, some olive oil, a little grated cheese and a a few hot red pepper flakes, water...presto! Italian Soul Food!!:)

Zuppa di pasta e broccoli

This is one of my very favorites...a fairly quick, simple, affordable, and healthy, home cooked meal that is delicious...yet it can also be served in the finest of restaurants...This is my Nonna's recipe...

 This is a a meatless dish...and just one wonderful example of what some these days may call "Italian peasant food"...dishes that were very basic and born out of necessity, hard times and love..."Food for survival" so to speak....and now these same dishes seem to nowadays be very trendy!

I will definitely have the full recipe in my upcoming cook book...

 Mangia bene a tutti mi amici!! Have an awesome weekend everybody!

And to all of you here in the US, have a very Happy Labor Day weekend!!! Love,

Joe

 

 

Thank you for reading...I hope you enjoy... as I have mentioned...I am currently working on a cookbook to be released for sale asap! It will probably be a downloadable E-Book to start...please subscribe to stay updated and/or email me at thegodsendsessions(at)yahoo(dot)com  to get on my personal mailing list.

Please leave a comment...share your thoughts and ideas..."Like", "Tweet"  +1 and share...and remember to follow or subscribe to my blog  on  Posterous or on Blogspot  to keep in touch and to stay updated on happenings....thank you!:)

 My Music...

Pick up a copy of my CD..."The Godsend Sessions"...

http://joegande.bandcamp.com

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

http://www.joegande.com

 

Butternut Squash Soup!

I love soup! ;)
Anytime of year really...but especially on a cold, cozy, Fall or Winter's night!
This is my homemade Butternut Squash Soup...with ham and fresh ground nutmeg and crostini...
Just sautee a potato, some garliic and onion in a little bit of olive oil...add a bit of chicken stock...
Slice up two Butternut Squash in halves(long ways)
Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet(use a little olive oil or cooking spray like Pam) face down and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour...
When cooked scoop out squash and combine with potato/onion mixture and about 3 cups of chicken broth in a big pot...Add salt and pepper and ground nutmeg to taste...a little bit of cream(about half a cup).You can use milk if need be...and a little butter...
Use an immersion blender to blend and puree...and then cook on medium heat about a half an hour...done!!:) Toast or grill some Italian bread...buttered with a little garlic powder and parsley...
To add a special touch...slice up some ham or prosciutto...whatever you like or may have on hand and add to the center of the bowl and sprinkle some chopped chives on top if you have them...and a sprinkle of white pepper and some fresh ground black pepper....serve! :)
This soup is delicious on it's own ...but the smokieness of the ham, offsets the natural sweetness of the squash and is delicious!! ;)
Mangiare bene!! ;)
Love,
Joe

Click photo to enlarge