This soup is delicious, easy to serve, AND you can make it a day ahead to avoid the stresses that I always experience before company like cleaning kitchen or house with the kids running around :) I also like making this to bring to someone that needs a meal after having a baby, etc (we have tons of babies born where I live in student housing!) Or, sometimes, I will even just make it for our little family :) Always great as leftovers! My husband loves it.
I like serving this with homeade Lion House rolls (bottom of post). I love dipping bread in this!
Tools that I recommend if you're into fun kitchen tools or just Pampered Chef:
Ultimate Slice 'n' Grate (potatoes)
Chopper (for the onions)
Scissors work great for the bacon and Kale
And, of course a trusty garlic mincer ( I love my Pampered Chef one, because I don't have to peel it!)
Oh, and a shredder if you want to get really nifty and use it for sprinkling Parmesan Cheese on top just before/after serving (Ya! Like they do in Olive Garden!)
I believe that these tools make this meal easier and faster to make, if not even a little more fun :)
Zuppa Toscana (From the Olive Garden)
1 lb. ground Hot Italian sausage
½ lb. bacon, chopped
7-9 medium potatoes, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced or shredded
11/4 tsp. minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups kale leaves, chopped
4-5 (14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth - enough to just cover the potatoes & onion
1 pint or less heavy whipping cream
Salt & pepper to taste
(Optional: grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top after serving)
Brown sausage & bacon. My friend that gave me this recipe says: "I microwave the meat in separate dishes in 3 min. intervals and drain the fat after each interval. Usually cooks in 6-7 min." (I actually bake my bacon in the oven for 30 minutes on 350 in a broiler type pan lined with foil) Set aside. Place broth, potatoes, garlic & onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until onions and potatoes are tender. Add sausage and bacon. Simmer 10 minutes. *Add kale and cream, season with salt and pepper. Heat through and serve.
*If you are making this a day early, stop here. Don't add the Kale and Cream until you reheat it the next day. I let mine cool a bit before putting it in the refrigerator.
Lion House Dinner Rolls
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour
Method:
In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).
Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size, about 45 minutes.
Scrape dough out onto floured board. Turn dough over so it is floured on both sides; gently flatten to about 1 inch thick. With rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick. Brush with melted butter. With pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut dough in half to make two strips about 4 inches wide. Make cuts through strips of dough every 2 inches, making about 18 pieces of dough.
Starting with short end, roll up one piece of dough, with butter on the inside. Place roll on parchment-lined pan with other short end down on the paper. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all rolls face the same direction on baking pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until light to medium golden brown. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Serve with Honey Butter. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.
Helpful Tips for Making Rolls
Always add flour gradually and keep dough as soft as you can handle. A soft dough will produce a lighter roll.
It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour called for in the recipe—add only enough flour to make dough manageable.
To shorten dough's rising time, use one of these methods:
1) When dough is thoroughly mixed, oil bowl and cover dough with plastic wrap. Fill sink or larger bowl with about 2 inches of hot water or enough water to come about half or three-fourths the way up outside the dough bowl. Place bowl of dough in bowl of water and allow to rise until double in size.
2) Just before mixing dough, turn oven on lowest possible temperature. Place a pan of hot water on bottom oven rack. When dough is thoroughly mixed, place in oiled bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap; place in oven. Turn oven off, shut oven door, and allow dough to rise until double in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Shape or cut into desired rolls. Place rolls on greased or parchment-lined pans and allow to rise until double in size. Bake according to recipe.
Brush top of rolls with butter when first taken from oven.
How to consistently make attractive, good-tasting rolls? Practice! Practice! Practice!
Honey Butter
Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup honey
Method:
Whip softened butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and honey gradually. Beat for 20 minutes. Makes 1 cup.
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