Week 127: Italian Tomato & Sausage Soup

I hope all of you are doing well, both in body and spirit.  These are trying times, we keep trying to remind our kids that this has never happened before in our lifetime so we need patience and flexibility. We feel confident telling them that if we continue to work together, as a family, community and a nation, will get through this.  As you all know, being in the kitchen is my favorite place ... thank you for allowing me to maintain my sanity by cooking for all of you.  I really appreciate your business and I'm working hard to provide you a delicious, homemade meal each Monday evening.  

On the menu for MONDAY, MARCH 30th is ITALIAN TOMATO & SAUSAGE SOUP WITH CRISPY RAVIOLI and ROASTED RED PEPPER BREAD.  Crispy fried ravioli make a delightful garnish to this tomatoey sausage soup.  The soup begins with roasting cherry tomatoes, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, in the oven.  This adds a more concentrated, intense tomato flavor to the soup.  After the tomatoes are roasted, they are pureed in the food processor along with canned diced tomatoes.  Meanwhile, Italian sausage is browned in the pot.  Next, garlic, onion and spices are added to saute.  Once veggies are softened, the reserved tomatoes and homemade chicken stock are added.  The soup is finished with a little red wine vinegar, fresh basil and crispy ravioli's.  The bread companion this week is my roasted red pepper bread.  This beautifully braided bread combines the sweetness of roasted red peppers with a little spiciness of black pepper.  

 

All soup for the time being will be delivered in disposable containers, it will be automatically added to your purchase.  And while we love to see your faces when we make our deliveries ...  for the time being we are going to leave your dinner on the front porch, rather than hand delivering it to you so we can avoid breaching social distancing guidelines.  Please note that pick up orders will be from 5:00 - 6:30 PM. Z Place is currently closed on Mondays due to this crisis, so thank you for your patience as I try to accomodate everyone.