I had a fine soup at the anacortes hospital when I was waiting for the eye doctor about five years ago, back when they were actually making delicious nutritious lunches out of local food. It was “Italian Wedding Soup” and it involved orzo, sausage, and basil in a fine broth. I reinvented it at home and my grandson Ellery loved it. This is what I made up:
Italian Wedding Soup (my recreation, for Ellery, of a soup I had in the Anacortes hospital cafeteria Ellery loved it, saying “This kind of food makes me feel humble!”)
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage (half of the package)
half a large sweet onion
fresh basil
chopped fresh greens–spinach or chard
3- 4 cups broth, preferably homemade (approximately–more or less as the pot fills with solids)
salt and pepper
cooked orzo (or linguini broken small)–maybe a cup or a cup and a half (cooked)
grated parmesan or romano cheese
Make the sausage (preferably island grown lamb sausage) into very little balls or lumps–1/2 – 3/4 inch pieces. Brown them in a sturdy soup pot with the onions in a little olive oil. Meanwhile, boil the pasta. Add broth to kettle; when it starts to simmer, put in the chopped greens and cook just a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. Sometimes a dash of balsamic vinegar is nice, but go easy on it. At the very end throw in the chopped fresh basil and the cooked pasta. Serve in wide bowls with a generous blob of freshly grated cheese.
This should serve three, I think.
-Eleanor
