This soup shouldn’t work, but man, does it ever!
None of the veggies are cooked beforehand, everything but the ravioli and the sherry vinegar go into the pot at once, then gets brought to a bowl and left to simmer for an hour.
Simplicity itself, and oh! so tasty!
I should note that Rich, while he liked it and had two bowls, thought it a bit, ermmm, zippy.
No doubt due to the Szechuan peppercorns I added to my chicken stock and the crushed red pepper I added to the soup.
So, you might want to think about that when making your soup.
A note on the chicken stock. I save leftover, bone-in chicken pieces in the freezer and, when I need stock, I pile ’em all into my pressure cooker with an onion, some parsley, carrot, celery, and bit of wine, water, garlic, and, yes, those Szechuan peppercorns. Set the cooker for 45 minutes at high pressure, then go away and let the pot do its thing.
Quick release the pressure, then strain the solids out and discard.
After skimming the fat, I ended up with six cups of very nice chicken stock and cleaned out one of my freezers!
Bonus!
If you want to use canned stock, go for it, but I kinda like basically getting free food out of stuff I would have tossed back in the day. Stock taken care of, let’s get on with the soup!
INGREDIENTS
•6 cups chicken stock
•2 cans diced tomatoes
•2 cups sweet onion, diced
•5 cloves garlic, minced
•1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
•8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
•2 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•1 tsp dried shallots
•1/2 tsp dried oregano
•1/2 tsp onion powder
•1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
•1/2 tsp Kosher salt
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp dried thyme
•Frozen ravioli
•1/4 cup grated Parmesan
•1 tbsp sherry vinegar
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No Problem! Simply add a bit of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff) and a dash or three of your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Add all of the ingredients, except for the ravioli, Parm, and sherry vinegar to a large pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, for 45 minutes.
Add the sherry vinegar, ravioli, and Parm.
Give it all a stir and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and the ravioli cooked.
A note on the ravioli. We have this pretty terrific family owned Italian deli just up the freeway, and if I am looking for frozen pasta, that’s where I go.
Serve with more cheese, additional freshly chopped parsley, if you like, and crusty bread.
I wouldn’t say no to a 1905 salad, either.