PRE-STORY:
It’s National Soup Month, and I am trying to cut calories. I got a Cooking Light cookbook a couple years ago and decided to dust it off. It had a wonderful section on slimming down creamy soups.
DISH: Soup
SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: Cooking Light http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tuscan-style-potato-soup-10000001924707/
ACTIVE TIME: ~40 minutes TOTAL TIME: ~60 Minutes
· 2 heads garlic – used 1
· 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided – used 1 ¼
· 2 cups finely chopped onion, divided – used 1
· freshly ground black pepper
· salt
· 2 1/4 pounds cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 6 cups) – used a little over a lb
· 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth – used 2
· 1 cup half-and-half – used ½ C fat-free half-and-half
· 4 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, divided – used 2 oz +
· 6 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed – used 3 oz hot Italian turkey sausage
· 1 ounce pancetta, finely chopped
· 1 cup chopped kale
· 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
· 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted – used 1
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Cut off pointed end of each garlic head to partially reveal cloves (do not peel or separate the cloves); place each head in the center of a small sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon oil over each head and a sprinkle of salt; wrap each in foil. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Squeeze to extract pulp; discard skins. Do this first, then start prepping everything else so this is done/cooled in time to add to potato mix.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cups onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in pepper, salt, and potato; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally. Place a food mill over a large bowl; pour potato mixture and garlic pulp into food mill. Press mixture through food mill; return mixture to pan. Add roasted garlic to mix. Mash potatoes with a potato masher in the pan. Stir in half-and-half. Finely grate cheese to yield 1/4 cup; stir into soup. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
4. Towards the end of the potatoes cooking, heat 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining onion; sauté for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in salt, sausage, and pancetta; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble sausage.
5. While potatoes are cooking, cook kale in boiling water for 4 minutes; strain through a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Grate 1 ounce cheese. Combine kale, reserved cooking liquid add a tablespoon at a time, grated cheese, sage, and nuts in a food processor; process until finely ground. With processor on, gradually add 1 tablespoon oil through food chute, processing until combined.
6. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 3 tablespoons sausage mixture. Drizzle each serving with about 4 teaspoons kale mixture.
SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serves 6
Calories: 456, Fat: 23.2g, Saturated fat: 9.2g, Protein: 18.3g , Carbohydrate: 43.8g , Fiber: 4.2g
RATING/DIFFICULTY:
Just Tri
SERVED WITH:
Broiled toast - Lite bread spread with pesto mix and grated cheese and mixed green salad
FINAL NOTES:
This soup was incredible. Next time I would eliminate the pancetta, not needed, the sausage is plenty and I would process the pesto starting with a tablespoon of the water and a tablespoon of oil then add the water as needed. My pesto was a little too liquidy and I had to add nuts and cheese which just adds fat. Make sure you read the recipe first and figure out the timing. This can be done in less than an hour.
