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!  

Czechoslovakian/Hungarian RAW POTATO Dumplings

Halušky

2 large Russet Potatoes
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder (or 1/4 of a real onion processed with the potatoes)
1 c. flour (This is an approximation---you should start with 1 cup and add more until you get the right consistency). I cup is usually all I need.

Place a large pot of water with 1 Tablespoon of salt added, on the stove to boil. Meanwhile start the dumpling mixture. Wash and peel potatoes well. Cube potatoes and add to a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds until lumps are gone. Place in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and let drain for 5 minutes or longer. Slowly and carefully pour off the drained liquid but keep the white starch that’s settled on the bottom. To the starch, add the drained potato, egg, flour, salt, pepper and onion powder.
I wet a flat plate with cold water and place dough on the plate. With a wet teaspoon, cut off kidney bean size pieces of dough and drop into the boiling salted water. Cook dumplings until  they float to top. (not too long). Immediately drain in colander, running cold water over to stop cooking process. Drain well and store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before using for Halushki  or Bryndzové Halušky (Slovakian Potato Dumplings with Bryndza Cheese). I use cottage cheese to cover the potato spaetzle.

Halušky s Tvarohom

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!