Sunday Soup #113: Creamy Italian Sausage Soup

What do you make when it's 106 degrees outside? Soup, of course!! Hot soup opens your pores on a hot day, causes you to sweat more, increases evaporation, and helps your body better regulate internal temperature. No, really... It's science (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22574769/)! You're welcome... ;-)

I came across this recipe by happenstance and thought it looked like it could be a crowd-pleaser. Italian soups are sometimes a little hit-or-miss for my tastebuds, personally, but (like much of Italian cuisine) most people seem drawn to the hearty, comforting taste of a quality dish, and soup is no exception. But, how did this one come out? Let's see...

This recipe came from: https://www.yummly.com/recipe/CREAMY-ITALIAN-SAUSAGE-SOUP-2284161#directions

*Pic 1 - https://www.yummly.com/recipe/CREAMY-ITALIAN-SAUSAGE-SOUP-2284161#directions

Variations from the Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe. And, I put the whole tomatoes in the blender and "pulsed" them into a rough pulp. That's it!

General Thoughts: The prep on this one wasn't that bad... The first step was to boil the pasta, rinse it, and set it to the side for later. I was very happy to see this, as this is how I usually prefer to prepare my pasta for soup. By cooking the pasta separately, giving it a cold water rinse, and then adding it back to the soup right before serving (as opposed to cooking the pasta in the soup itself), I can keep my pasta truly al dente, which makes it a much more pleasant dining experience. After the pasta was prepped, I used ground Italian sausage, pre-diced onions, and pre-shredded cheeses to save some time, so the rest of it went fairly quickly.

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

*singing* "Cheese, glorious cheese... tastes mighty inviting!" LOL Anytime I make a recipe that is cheesy, I am reminded of the tune from that '80s American Dairy Farmers commercial (here, if you want to waste 30 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKp0iDZ9a_s). And, this one turned out SO cheesy! You can see from the picture above that each ladleful made it look like I was using a spoon literally made of cheese to fill each bowl! But, that was not a bad thing... Using a quality mozzarella made each bite full of flavor and reminded me a bit of pizza. Luckily, the copious amounts of cheese (and the half-and-half) did not manage to obscure the other savory Italian and tomato flavors, which I was a little concerned about. Each bite of broth still popped with garlic, oregano, and basil, and the acidic tomatoes really cut the rich dairy.

And, as you would expect, this soup was super hearty and satisfying... The cream, the Italian sausage, the pasta, and the cheeses left no doubt that this is supposed to be a stick-to-your-ribs, don't-leave-hungry, you-want-more-but-have-no-room meal of which any Italian chef would be proud! I would not have any concerns about serving this soup as a main course, especially if you pair it with a delicious loaf of bread (I prefer sourdough).

Potential Improvements? This was another great soup that was terrific as-is, but I might be interested to try a couple tweaks... I'd like to add a bit of pepper to the pot (when I cracked some black pepper into my bowl, it added additional depth to the flavor). Lisa added some garbanzo beans (aka, chickpeas) to her bowl (as a substitute for the pasta), which I thought was brilliant, and I'd love to try adding some in the future. And, I think I might add about 50% more Italian sausage and brown it in slightly larger chunks (i.e., bite-sized pieces rather than ground beef taco-sized crumbles).

Polling the Fam: I really liked this one and will definitely make it again! Becky thought it was good and voted for more sausage, but she wasn't a huge fan of the chunks of tomatoes. Jayson really enjoyed it and couldn't think of anything to make it better. Lisa thought the flavors were great and said she'd favor more sausage (in bigger chunks). Andrew liked it a lot. Hunter thought it was really good and said it reminded him of a tortellini soup that I made previously (https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2019/08/sunday-soup-84-creamy-sausage-and.html). And Fox, in his characteristic way, just said, "It was good."

Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)

Sunday Soup #112: Slow Cooker Kimchi Stew with Beef

I am pretty excited when I find a new Asian soup that looks tasty, and so it was with this week's selection... Korean cuisine is my favorite, so when I stumbled across this kimchi stew (as I was looking for kimchi to serve with some Korean tacos I made earlier in the week), I knew I had to give it a try! Kimchi stew, with the right protein, can be rich, flavorful, and so comforting. I have wonderful memories of eating it during my time spent in the snowy Korean mountains in the middle of winter many, many moons ago. So, did this recipe help me recapture that feeling? Let's see...

This recipe came from: https://mykoreankitchen.com/slow-cooker-kimchi-stew-with-beef/

*Pic 1 - https://mykoreankitchen.com/slow-cooker-kimchi-stew-with-beef/

My Variations from Recipe as Written: I used pork belly instead of chuck roast (because the recipe said I could!), and I used toasted sesame oil (because it is what I had on hand). That's it!

General Thoughts: This one was pretty easy to prep as the only thing that required any work, really, was cubing the pork belly. Everything else was just dumped into the slow cooker, which then cooked on its own for eight hours (with just a couple of stirs). I love it when a recipe is super easy to prep! But, be warned if you make this one, it is going to be pungent! Kimchi is spicy fermented cabbage that has a distinct taste and smell, and it often gives off a strong (but delicious) odor when cooked. So, how did it taste?

*Pic 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

Well, the soup was warm and hearty. It turned out a bit thicker than expected, but it still had enough broth to make it soupy, so no worries there. I served it over rice, as suggested by the recipe, which added some additional texture and heft to each bite.

Unfortunately, that is where the positives ended... Slow cooking fatty meat (such as pork belly or chuck roast) caused it to suffuse the soup and virtually "coat" my tongue, which wasn't terrible but led to an odd mouth-feel. More importantly, the taste was not great... I expected it to be PACKED with flavor, but it somehow managed to be simultaneously spicy and a little bland. I know, weird, right?! It was like it punched me in the mouth with an explosion of flavor (which wasn't even that good) right as I took a bite but then quickly dropped off into a bunch of homogenous flavors and an odd aftertaste. Now, I know you may be saying to yourself, "Well, Ryan must just not know good kimchi." No, trust me... I know kimchi, and I know kimchi stew, and this just wasn't very good. :-( The bottom line is, it was edible, but not very enjoyable.

Potential Improvements? Wow, I am not sure... I didn't want to eat any more than what I had put into my bowl the first time, and I didn't even bother keeping the leftovers, so I am afraid I wasn't even thinking about "improvements."

Polling the Fam: As I said, I found it edible, and I'd eat it again if someone served it to me, but I'll likely never make this one again, sadly. Hunter, likewise, did not care for it, saying he did not like the texture, it did not taste like kimchi (which he really likes), and it was kind of bland overall.

Verdict: Not a fan. (2 stars)