Little Meatball Soup

At the end of the time period, the contestants would taste and comment on the chef’s dishes and the audience would vote on which chef had produced the tastiest dishes.  I’m probably not explaining it very well, but hopefully you get the picture.  The show was called Ready Steady Cook. 

I cooked the macaroni, rinsed and set it aside.   

I skinned the sausage and shaped it into tiny meatballs   . . .

With the tinned tomatoes, I added fresh minced onions and garlic and a few seasonings to create a chunky tomato soup broth . . .

I poached the little sausage meatballs in the broth  . . .

And then I threw in the cooked macaroni and heated it through . . .

Ladled into hot soup bowls with a smattering of grated Parmesan cheese scattered over top, it went down a real treat on this cold . . .  wet . . .  wet . . . day.  Crusty bread on the side is a must.

Little Meatball Soup

ingredients:

For the soup:

• 230g dry macaroni (2 cups)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
• 2 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
• 2 (400g) tins of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained (28 ounces)
• 950ml chicken stock (4 cups)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 45g grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
• chopped fresh basil (a good handful, about 1/4 cup)

instructions:

1. Remove the casings from the sausages.  Using wet hands, shape the meat  into 1/2 inch in diameter sized meatballs.  Set aside in a cool place.
2. Cook the macaroni as per package instructions in  a large pot of salted water.  Drain well.  Rinse in cold water and drain again.  Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, without browning. Stir in the tomato puree, garlic, and thyme.  Cook until very fragrant.  Add the 
   tomatoes and broth.  Add the meatballs and cook at a simmer, without stirring, until the meatballs are tender and cooked through, about 15 to  20 minutes.  Stir in the pasta, and season with salt and black pepper to taste. 
4. Spoon into heated bowls, topping each serving with some Parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

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The English Kitchen

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