Week 167: Italian Wedding Soup

Happy Thursday :-)

On our way back home after our stop in Asia with Thai Laksa, we are going to quickly stop in Europe for one of my most popular soups.  

On the menu for TUESDAY, MAY 18th is ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP and ITALIAN HERB BREAD. Italian Wedding Soup gets its name from the Italian phrase "minestra maritata" ("married soup"), which refers to the tasty flavor produced by the combination or "marriage" of the greens and the meat. This rich chicken soup is filled with lots of good things - fresh spinach, creamy pasta and plenty of those delicious meatballs!

The soup begins with browing the meatballs in the oven to intensify their flavor. The meatballs are made with ground turkey, Italian turkey sausage, breadcrumbs, garlic, fresh parsley, milk, and egg.

Meanwhile, onions, carrots and celery are sautéed in the pot. Once the veggies are soft, homemade chicken stock, white wine and orzo pasta are dropped in. After the pasta is cooked, fresh spinach, dill and lemon zest finish off the soup.

The bread companion this week is my Italian Herb bread. This delicious bread, filled with garlic, butter and fresh herbs, will make a perfect pair with this soup.

This will be my last week of offering weekly desserts before Dana is out for the summer - so be sure to get your orders in! On the menu for dessert this week are BOURBON PECAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. These cookies are sweet, slightly salty, chewy and boozy! They are made with browned butter, one of my favorite baking techniques, buttered toasted pecans, topped with sea salt and are baked to perfection. ~ Jenny from Jenny Sue Delights