Week 285: Autumn Minestrone

Hello!!

I can be a bit fearless in the kitchen, always up for trying something new ... which made last week a doozy! Making a new bread on week two in a new kitchen is a bit insane, thankfully none of you saw the behind the scenes! All of the bread came out tasting fantastic, however they got significantly prettier as we got more comfortable with the new recipe, new oven, etc. So if you received an "unique" looking bread, I apologize. I promise next time it's offered on a menu it will look as good as it tastes :-)

On the menu for TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21st is AUTUMN MINESTRONE & SPICY CHEESE BREAD. Minestrone means "Big Soup" to Italians .... a healthy and hearty soup packed with lots of goodies, like seasonal veggies, pasta and beans. The word minestrone stems from Minestra, which means to "dish up" or "serve".....and I'm happy to dish up a big pot of this to your family!!

The soup begins with browning Italian sausage in the pot along with onions, carrots and garlic. Once the meat is browned and veggies are softened, homemade chicken stock, butternut squash, zucchini, diced tomatoes, fresh rosemary and thyme are added.

After the soup simmers, ditalini pasta, bright green kale and red kidney beans are dropped in. The soup is garnished with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. This minestrone can easily be made without the sausage, you can select to omit the sausage when ordering.

My bread companion this week is my SPICY CHEESE BREAD. This chewy, cheesy bread is legendary in Wisconsin and incorporates red pepper flakes into both the dough and the topping to give it a spicy kick. This flavorful bread will taste delicious alongside this fall soup.