As I write this, Wichita is flirting with its record for most consecutive days with snow on the ground. At least one local family has erected a working igloo.
Soup weather, in other words.
The accompanying soup recipe is hearty enough to serve as a meal and guaranteed to warm your insides. It’s similar to the many copycat recipes for the Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscano that are making the rounds.
The other major culinary task facing us in February is eating our way through another Chiefs Super Bowl victory on Feb. 9. When it comes to football food, my go-to is another ball — the store-bought meatball, a tasty, versatile, inexpensive shortcut that lends itself to all kinds of deliciousness. The accompanying recipe for Super (Meat) Balls might be the first “recipe” — with all of three ingredients! — I ever consciously learned, thanks to the mother of a good friend. Grape jelly is traditional with this retro favorite, but I’ve experimented successfully with Kansas sand plum jelly and other flavors.
What else can you do with meatballs? Simmer them in spaghetti sauce and serve up in meatball subs. Substitute them for ground beef or pork in the meat sauce for your favorite lasagna. Substitute them for the Italian sausage in the Zuppa Toscano recipe.
Will they taste as good if, by some stroke of misfortune, the Chiefs don’t reach and win the Super Bowl? No, but they’ll still taste good.
Zuppa Toscano
1 lb. ground Italian sausage (hot recommended)
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
5 to 6 cups chicken stock
3 to 4 cups chopped fresh kale
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated parmesan, for optional topping
Directions:
In a pot, cook sausage and onion together, breaking up sausage, until meat is browned and onion is soft; add garlic during last minute of cooking. Drain off any excess grease.
Add potatoes and chicken stock; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add cream and kale and continue simmering about 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper, garnish with parmesan if using, and serve with crusty bread.
Note: For a lighter version, leave out the sausage and/or heavy cream. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil, adding some diced carrot and celery, and add a 16-oz. can of cannellini beans (drained) with the potatoes. Mash some of the potatoes and beans to create a creamier texture and add some Italian seasoning with the salt and pepper.
Super (Meat) Balls
1 bag (32 oz.) pre-cooked meatballs (no need to defrost if frozen)
1 jar chili sauce (mild, such as Heinz)
10 oz. favorite jelly or jam
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer about 45 minutes, stirring just enough to keep meatballs from sticking. Serve with toothpicks out of the pot, from a slow cooker or bowl fitted with a lid to keep them warm.
