This is hands down one of the best soups I’ve had. I love it! I started here but based on comments from that site, and the desire to make it slightly lower in calories, I changed a few things: I added some chicken bouillon to give more intense flavor; added some smoked sausage because I love it; and lessened the amount of orzo. I honestly was surprised at how good it came out. I think it was the bouillon and I will be using that from now on in more soups. My recipe is below.
Spinach, Sausage and Orzo Soup
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 quart Chicken Broth
2 Bullion Cubes
1 cup Water
1 bag Fresh Spinach
1 pound Smoked Sausage
1 can Diced Tomatoes
¾ cup Orzo
1 small Onion, sliced
2 cloves Garlic
Garlic Powder, Minced Onions, Oregano, And Pepper
Fry sausage and remove. Add oil if needed and sauté garlic and onions. Add tomatoes, spinach, chicken broth, bouillon and water and cook until spinach is wilted. Add sausage back in and add any extra spices and stir to combine. Add the orzo, cover and cook for about 20 min.
Oh. My. Goodness. This was amazing!! I have been waiting for fall to try a bunch of recipes like this and this one was on top of my list. I was afraid it would be difficult, but it was super easy and worth every amount of effort put into it. Right out of the oven is was warm and gooey and apple-y. So comforting. This would be so perfect for Christmas morning - when it’s cold outside - with some hot chocolate or coffee or egg nog. I really liked the “pull apart” thing too... I have several other pull apart bread recipes that I now really want to try. They’re just super fun to eat and you get so much flavor in every bite.
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| Before Baking |
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| A little extra |
This is the start of several posts. I got a bit behind because, well, life is busy. So this dinner was made quite a while ago, but I still wanted to capture my thoughts.
This was a quick, ‘let’s make something for dinner’ meal. It actually started with the peaches because I had a bunch from the Harry and David box we got. Then, we had just watched a ‘Giada at Home’ episode where she made this pork loin and put it on a sandwich, but I thought it would be good by itself. And since cauliflower is in season, I thought the balsamic roasted cauliflower would be a good side.
This was the recipe we used for the pork. I followed the recipe exactly, but instead of putting it on bread, we just carved it and spooned the mustard sauce on top. It was fantastic! The pork loin came out tender and juicy and the mustard sauce is a perfect flavor complement.
I’ve been holding onto the cauliflower recipe for a little while waiting for the fall. I actually have several cauliflower recipes I want to try. This one was really easy and tasty. However I hate chopping up cauliflower! It gets everywhere! I find teeny, tiny, little, white pieces for days afterwards. If anyone has tips on how to chop it without that happening, please share. The only thing I changed was I used chopped oregano and thyme instead of marjoram.
Finally I made the peach galette. The hardest part about this recipe was finding a pie crust recipe that i liked. I’m not afraid of making pie crust, but I wanted something interesting. I found this one from Four and Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn and it sounded delicious. And it was! I will definitely use this as my go to pie dough from now on. It was perfectly flaky and doughy underneath. And the cider adds this subtle layer of tartness that makes the crust just slightly more interesting that your normal pie crust.
Here is the total recipe..
Peach Galette
(Filling adapted from Seduction Meals)
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
½ Tbsp Sugar
½ tsp Salt
1 stick Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 cup Cold Water
⅛ cup Cider Vinegar
3-4 Peaches, cut in ¼ inch wedges
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, cut into small cubes
1 Egg Yolk
1 Tbsp Raw Sugar
For Crust:
Combine 1 cup cold water, ⅛ cup cider vinegar and ice
Add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse 3 times. Add chopped, cold butter and pulse 5 times until the dough resembles a coarse meal.
Slowly add the ice water and vinegar mixture (8-10 tbsp) until the dough just comes together - being careful not to overwork. Aim to create a marbleized effect, so that the butter is still visible.
Wrap in plastic and shape into round disc. Chill 1 hour or more before use.
Remove dough from fridge and roll disc of crust out to fit about a 10-12 inch diameter, about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Place back in fridge till ready to use.
Meanwhile...
Place sliced peaches in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of sugar and toss.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Gently lift crust and place this onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment.
Starting about 1 ½ inches from the edge, place peach slices on the dough from the outside to the center. Dot butter throughout. Fold over the edge of the dough, overlapping the fruit.
Whisk the egg yolk and brush this mixture over the rim of the galette. Sprinkle the raw sugar over the galette and the rim.
Bake until browned, about 20 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Loosen the edges and center with a spatula. Lift the parchment to a cooling rack and carefully slide off onto the cooling rack or platter.
