Saturday, March 8, 2014

Zuppa Toscano the Hungarian/Czech Way


ZUPPA TOSCANO

64 ounces chicken broth
16 ounces whipping cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2  tsp. pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 pound bacon (I use 1 package of 100% Real Bacon Bits (2.5 oz. bag)
10 ounce frozen, chopped spinach
1 lb Jimmy Dean's Original or Italian Pork Sausage Roll
2 large russet potatoes scrubbed and cut in half lengthwise, and then into 1/4 inch slices
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on when served.

 
      Cook and crumble the bacon, set aside. (or have Real Bacon Bits on hand).

      In a Dutch Oven, heat the chicken broth to boiling. Turn off the heat and add the spinach. Place a lid on the pot and let the spinach thaw in the chicken broth.

      Meanwhile, crumble and brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat.
*(Prep potatoes and onion while sausage is browning.)
 After the sausage is browned, place it into the hot chicken broth. Also add the bacon bits to this mixture. Cook over medium low, with out the lid, while you prepare the potatoes.

      In the same skillet you browned the sausage, add the Tablespoon of olive oil . Heat oil over medium heat, add the potatoes and diced onion. Cook potatoes and onions until slightly browned and softened, turning periodically. Halfway through browning, sprinkle potatoes and onions with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Continue cooking until potatoes are cooked almost through.
Add cooked potato/onion mixture to the chicken broth, sausage/bacon and
spinach. Stir thoroughly, replace lid and turn off heat. Let it set until almost ready to serve.
When ready to serve, add whipping cream in very slowly, with no heat on.
When thoroughly incorporated turn heat to medium/low and heat to serving temperature. (without a lid on.)
Have the fresh grated Parmesan cheese available to be sprinkled by each person to their liking.
I also serve this with homemade bread or pepperoni rolls...oh so yummy!

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!  



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