Weed Soup

• 1/2 small yellow onion (about 2 1/2 ounces), cut into small dice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves green garlic, bulb and stalks, roughly chopped
• 5 ounces "weeds", such as tender young dandelion leaves, wild cress, and/or nettles. You can also use cultivated greens, such as spinach, kale, mustard, spinach, or chard. Endive or chicories also (Please ensure that they have not been treated with pesticides)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (preferably homemade) or, in a pinch, good quality diced tomatoes
• 2-3 links Italian sausage, casings removed. (Mix of hot and sweet sausage is preferred, but using just sweet is totally acceptable.)
• 1 quart water
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional (I suggest adding only if you are using just sweet sausage or if you like extra spice)
• 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus additional cheese for garnish
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt (approximately 1/2 to 1 teaspoon) and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling onto finished dish

1. Wash your weeds or greens. This can be a fairly time consuming process, especially if you've done your own foraging. First, with a paring knife or scissors, cut weeds off their stalks, tossing any weeds that look too big or gnarly, and trim away any brown bits. Then put weeds in a colander, rinse,.and drain them. Put a big handful of weeds in your largest kitchen bowl, and pour water over weeds. Swish weeds around with your hand. Examine the water. If there is dirt, sand or other gritty material in bottom of bowl, pour out dirty water and add fresh water, swishing weeds around again. Repeat until water is totally clear. Remove weeds and place in clean bowl. Add another handful of weeds to big bowl and repeat process of pouring water over weeds, swishing with your fingers and replacing water if dirty until all weeds have been cleaned.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice each link of sausage into four pieces, or simply pinch off balls of sausage about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Line a baking sheet with sides with aluminum foil. Place a baking rack over the foil and place pieces of sausage on the rack.Put baking pan in oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until sausage is browned and caramelized. It usually is not necessary to turn the sausage, but you can if you wish. Remove pan from oven and turn off oven. After sausage has cooled, cut into small dice (about 1/4-1/2 inch long).
3. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to large saucepan or Dutch oven and warm over medium low heat. Add onions and saute until just starting to turn golden. Add green garlic and stir. When garlic begins to release its fragrance, after about 1 minute, add tomato sauce or tomatoes, sausage, and red pepper flakes, if using. When mixture begins bubbling, add water. Let cook for about 20-30 minutes, at a gentle simmer, allowing flavors to develop. Taste and add salt and pepper, if you think they are needed. In small bowl, whisk cheese and eggs until blended.
4. If weeds are large, roughly chop and add them to soup, keeping heat at a simmer. Let cook for about five minutes, then slowly add egg mixture, whisking gently to combine. Cook soup for about five more minutes.
5. If weeds are small and tender, first add egg mixture slowly to soup, whisking gently to incorporate. Then add weeds. Let cook at a gentle simmer for about five minutes total cooking time.
6. Soup is finished cooking when weeds are tender but still colored a vibrant green and eggs resemble creamy, thin strands. Taste again to see if flavors are balanced, and, if needed, add additional salt and pepper. If possible, let soup sit for 10 minutes, covered, off heat.
7. Ladle into soup bowls, and shower with additional cheese. Drizzle olive oil on top. Serve with plenty of crusty bread for sopping up broth. Enjoy with a glass of wine!

yellow onion, extra virgin olive oil, green garlic, dandelion, tomato sauce, italian sausage, water, red pepper, freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, eggs, salt, extra virgin olive oil

Taken from food52.com/recipes/11804-weed-soup (may not work)