Olive Garden menu: Zuppa Toscana " Yassy's Version "
As you already know, I like
re-creating meals with some twists from restaurants or eatery places that
I have visited. It is fun to brain storming what is in the sauce or soup.
One of the restaurants I like to go to is Olive garden. One of the reasons I go there is for their soup, to be specific, " Zuppa Toscana". In Italian, Zuppa means "soup". It is very tasty garlicky spicy bacon potato soup with Kale if you will.
I think, it is basically a bacon potato soup with pork sausage, crushed red pepper and chopped kale. Here is how you can make my version of Zuppa Toscana.
I start off preheating the oven at about 400F
1. To small baking sheet, line non stick foil and place one link of hot Italian sausage and bake the sausage in the oven til done.
** This way, the finished soup does not have greasy top and still tasty when you have them
** I use Italian hot sausage because it has full of flavor and it also can add spiciness without adding crushed red pepper to the soup
** Also,if you do not like spicy soup, you can swap the hot Italian sausage with mild sausage or kielbasa sausage or smoked sausage. If you use fully cooked kielbasa/smoked sausage, just cut to small pieces and cook in the skillet with cold press Extra Virgin Olive Oil rather than bake in the oven
2. When sausage is done, cool it down enough to handle with hands.
3. Cut the sausage to about a little bigger than thumb nail size
4. Pour about 1tbs of cold press Extra Virgin Olive Oil to deep sauce pan, and grate about 1 clove of garlic and when you can smell the garlic, add diced Russet potato and when potato is half done, add sliced onion and cook til translucent.
5. Add cooked sausage
6. Add about 1C of chicken broth, 1C of milk and let potatoes cook through
** This amount is good for about 2 adult serving. If you make soup for more people, add equal amount of chicken broth and milk and finish the soup off with splash of heavy cream.
7. While potato is cooking in other sauce pan, prepare the skillet and, place center cut Bacon about 6 slices and add about 1tbs of water
** Why Center cut Bacon? It is leaner cut of Bacon and you still can get same tasty flavor out of it. My favorite brand is oscar mayer brand. I do not use oil to get the bacon going. All you need is about 1tbs of water. Don't put too much water in the skillet though. You do not want to steam the bacon
** As Bacon cooks, now and then, flip the bacon and cook till Bacon does not get bend over when lift the bacon up. And Place the cooked Bacon onto paper towel. By letting them rest on the paper towel,it crisp up more
On the talk of Bacon. I think there are many ways to cook Bacon. Some people cook in oven, some people cook in skillet, some people fry them... I found one interesting video to show you how to cook the Bacon in the microwave at youtube. I have not tried this method yet but interested in trying this method once later.
I do use microwave to cook the pepperoni first sandwiching the pepperoni with paper towel just like the guy in the video did for Bacon to make my homemade pepperoni pizza does not get too greasy when cooked. Maybe using the method for Bacon would work.
How to cook the perfect Bacon in the microwave
If you are a blog subscriber or reading from facebook,please click here to watch the video.
8.When soup is close to finish, add chopped Kale about handful
8. Add splash of heavy cream to make the soup a little creamier and simmer the soup a little
9. Right before you serve, pour the Zuppa Toscana soup and cut the crisp bacon with kitchen scissor.
** I usually cut the Bacon over the cup of soup. This way, your hands do not get greasy.
** As side note, I use kitchen scissor to cut bunch of chives over bowls or sauce pan or wherever I like to put the chive in for dish. This way, you do not need to chase around the small bits of chives on cutting board, easy cleaning, and no mess.
This dish is less greasy version of Zuppa Toscana (Toscana soup), and it is very easy to make. I hope your family would enjoy this dish as much as mine does.
Enjoy!
One of the restaurants I like to go to is Olive garden. One of the reasons I go there is for their soup, to be specific, " Zuppa Toscana". In Italian, Zuppa means "soup". It is very tasty garlicky spicy bacon potato soup with Kale if you will.
I think, it is basically a bacon potato soup with pork sausage, crushed red pepper and chopped kale. Here is how you can make my version of Zuppa Toscana.
I start off preheating the oven at about 400F
1. To small baking sheet, line non stick foil and place one link of hot Italian sausage and bake the sausage in the oven til done.
** This way, the finished soup does not have greasy top and still tasty when you have them
** I use Italian hot sausage because it has full of flavor and it also can add spiciness without adding crushed red pepper to the soup
** Also,if you do not like spicy soup, you can swap the hot Italian sausage with mild sausage or kielbasa sausage or smoked sausage. If you use fully cooked kielbasa/smoked sausage, just cut to small pieces and cook in the skillet with cold press Extra Virgin Olive Oil rather than bake in the oven
2. When sausage is done, cool it down enough to handle with hands.
3. Cut the sausage to about a little bigger than thumb nail size
4. Pour about 1tbs of cold press Extra Virgin Olive Oil to deep sauce pan, and grate about 1 clove of garlic and when you can smell the garlic, add diced Russet potato and when potato is half done, add sliced onion and cook til translucent.
5. Add cooked sausage
6. Add about 1C of chicken broth, 1C of milk and let potatoes cook through
** This amount is good for about 2 adult serving. If you make soup for more people, add equal amount of chicken broth and milk and finish the soup off with splash of heavy cream.
7. While potato is cooking in other sauce pan, prepare the skillet and, place center cut Bacon about 6 slices and add about 1tbs of water
** Why Center cut Bacon? It is leaner cut of Bacon and you still can get same tasty flavor out of it. My favorite brand is oscar mayer brand. I do not use oil to get the bacon going. All you need is about 1tbs of water. Don't put too much water in the skillet though. You do not want to steam the bacon
** As Bacon cooks, now and then, flip the bacon and cook till Bacon does not get bend over when lift the bacon up. And Place the cooked Bacon onto paper towel. By letting them rest on the paper towel,it crisp up more
On the talk of Bacon. I think there are many ways to cook Bacon. Some people cook in oven, some people cook in skillet, some people fry them... I found one interesting video to show you how to cook the Bacon in the microwave at youtube. I have not tried this method yet but interested in trying this method once later.
I do use microwave to cook the pepperoni first sandwiching the pepperoni with paper towel just like the guy in the video did for Bacon to make my homemade pepperoni pizza does not get too greasy when cooked. Maybe using the method for Bacon would work.
How to cook the perfect Bacon in the microwave
8.When soup is close to finish, add chopped Kale about handful
8. Add splash of heavy cream to make the soup a little creamier and simmer the soup a little
9. Right before you serve, pour the Zuppa Toscana soup and cut the crisp bacon with kitchen scissor.
** I usually cut the Bacon over the cup of soup. This way, your hands do not get greasy.
** As side note, I use kitchen scissor to cut bunch of chives over bowls or sauce pan or wherever I like to put the chive in for dish. This way, you do not need to chase around the small bits of chives on cutting board, easy cleaning, and no mess.
This dish is less greasy version of Zuppa Toscana (Toscana soup), and it is very easy to make. I hope your family would enjoy this dish as much as mine does.
Enjoy!
Posted by yassy at 1/31/2010 12:19 PM 
Categories: Restaurant Challenge
Tags: restaurant bacon soup food
Categories: Restaurant Challenge
Tags: restaurant bacon soup food
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