Simple Italian (Sicilian) Soup Like Nana Made
- 1 pound Sirloin Steak (You May Substitute Chicken Or Italian Sausage)
- 1 whole Medium White Or Yellow Onion, Diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 cups Chopped Celery
- 2 cups Chopped Carrots
- 1 teaspoon Dry Italian Seasoning
- 12 ounces, weight Orzo Pasta Noodles (or Other Suitable Small Noodles Such As Mini-stars)
- 1/4 cups Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1. The meat should be seared in a Dutch oven for approximately 5 minutes per side on medium heat setting.
- 2. Remove steak from the pot. While cutting the steak into 1/2" or 3/4" cubes, saute the onions and garlic. That's when you'll hear, "Papa's cooking!" Nothing smells better.
- 3. Once the onions and garlic are softened a bit and translucent, add 2 quarts of water.
- 4. Return the cubed steak with the celery (including the leaves), carrots and Italian Seasoning*.
- 5. Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour.
- 6. Prepare orzo per the package instructions. Start orzo so that it is ready in the same time frame as the other ingredients.
- Serves 8 adults.
- Variations:
- * If you are lucky enough to have fresh oregano and basil, add that instead of the dry Italian Seasoning. Start with 1/4 teaspoon of Oregano and 1/4 teaspoon of Basil and adjust to your taste. Naturally the fresh herbs will be more powerful then the dry seasoning.
- Provide fresh ground Parmesan Cheese at the table. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Nana would often make her own bread. She baked it in bread pans, unlike French or Italian bread that we now see, she baked on flat sheets. She cooked a classic Italian bread that would have a hard European crust a couple of hours after she removed it from the oven. It almost never lasted that long, and was usually gone while it was still warm. Man, I sure miss her!
sirloin, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, italian seasoning, pasta noodles, parmesan cheese
Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/simple-italian-sicilian-soup-like-nana-made/ (may not work)