Souped Up Sunday

I had been meaning to make Italian Wedding Soup for some time. Sunday I finally got around to it.

I started by chopping a yellow onion and putting it in a pot with olive oil under what I thought was low heat. I cracked the lid. The pot used to be my Mom’s. She’d had it for as long as I can remember before she gave it to me. My sister Victoria calls it a Dutch Oven, but I’m not sure if it technically is one. In any case, it is a good big pot, and I use it all the time.

A watched pot may never boil, but unwatched onions will burn. I guess I lost track of time, because I usually check on these things (I think I was writing a letter to my sister Victoria at the time). I did not go back into the kitchen till I heard the onions making popping noises. Yikes!

I turned off the heat. I took the pot off the burner. I removed the lid. I stirred the onions, which were now in varying shades from onion-colored to black. They continued to sizzle in what I thought was a rather insolent fashion.

Now what to do? Chop more onions? Use the burnt ones? I took my dog Tabby for a walk while I pondered the question. When I returned I peeled some garlic, ran it through the garlic press and set the timer for 15 minutes. I forget why, but I heard you are supposed to let garlic sit for 15 minutes before using it. This gave me a little more time to think about the onions. After all, Sunday was cold; we had not taken that long of a walk.

I decided to use the onions. I poured in two cans of low sodium chicken broth and some water. I put in the garlic and chopped some celery. I preheated the oven to cook the meatballs. I used the frozen kind. Don’t judge.

While the meatballs baked, I peeled and chopped a carrot. I don’t like cooked carrots much, but Steven does. They add a little color and flavor, and of course they are good for you. A woman my age has to look out for her health. By adding the carrots later, I reasoned, they won’t be as mushy (my main objection to cooked carrots), at least the first time we eat the soup. They’ll soften with re-heating, but I’ll have to live with that.

I put the pasta (you know those little beady ones you use for Italian Wedding Soup) in shortly before the meatballs were ready. They were in a canister, not their original box, and naturally I did not remember how long they needed to boil. I had to keep tasting them. That was not burdensome; the soup was turning out pretty good. I added basil, oregano and a few crushed red peppers for good measure. Then I put the meatballs in and let them all cook together.

It was yummy, even if I do say so myself. I think burnt onions are the Way to Go. Steven had bread and butter with his, eating Dilly Bread we had purchased at the Ilion Farmer’s Market on Saturday (just to add a little local color). Oh, I love to cook soup on a cold, cold day. Now I’m looking forward to leftovers.