Italian Wedding Soup

The first time I had this soup was at our friend's rehersal dinner. It was made by a real Itailan momma. It was amazing!!! I didn't have all the ingredients traditionally used for this recipe so I tweeked it to what was in my fridge. It turned out great. I really enjoyed the addition of the fennel. I mean it wasn't as good as the one made by the real Italian family but I don't think I can ever quite reach that so I was really really satisfied with how this came out.

1 lb sausage

1 egg; lightly beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, minced

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion; sliced thinly

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried sage leaves

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

3 cloves garlic; minced

1/2 fennel bulb; finely sliced

3 carrots; sliced

8 cups beef stock

1 cup water

1 bay leaf

6 ounces orzo pasta1 1/2 cups kale; chopped

1     mix sausage, egg, bread crumbs, rosemary, parsley, cayene in a small bowl

2     then roll the mixture into small meatballs, about the size of a large marble

3     heat a skillet and pour in about 1 tbs of olive oil and brown all sides of the meatballs

(I did 1/2 of them at a time and then the other half so I could pay more attention to them all)

4     when they are browning heat the other 1 tbs of olive oil in a large pot

5     cook the onion until it begins to brown, then toss in the thyme, sage, S&P, garlic, fennel, and carrots

6     saute for about 5 minutes

7     then add in the browned meatballs, broth, water, bay leaf and bring to a simmer

8     simmer, not boil, for about 10-15 minutes

9     while it is simmering cook the orzo pasta

10    add in the pasta and kale, simmer for about 3-5 more minutes

11     serve with some delicious slices of french baguette with salted butter on top