SippitySup

This is the first paragraph of this post. It’s the place I’m going to first use the phrase Hearty Tortellini Soup because Hearty Tortellini Soup is my keyword. Best SEO practices say I should use the keyword in the first paragraph, but not too many times because Google thinks dense keywords are a bad thing! Twice isn’t too dense, is it? I’m doing this because while I know I should talk about my keyword I also have so much else to share.

It’s been hard lately for me to keep the format of this blog decidedly culinary. There have been so many things going on in my life. But I think I’ve found a way to quit all the blather and get back to basics.

You see I awoke this morning all nestled under a comforter (that somehow appeared during the night) and noticed that the weather had turned a bit chilly. The inevitable Southern California rain started its pitter-patter on the copper roof of the balcony outside my bedroom.

I know this tune. I’ve missed this song. I found myself getting a little emotional as I began to hum along to its rhythmic beat. Could I love the rain in Southern California that much? No, its not the rain making me feel this way. Rather it is the sound of the rain– drip, drop, clip, clop… I suddenly realized that the mellifluous drizzle tapping away on my bedroom window was the sound of soup! I have missed soup.

Well I bounced out of bed. A man with a purpose. I would make soup today and have a good reason to get my food blog back onto the subject of food!

Like this blog post this vegetable soup is completely free-form. You’ve probably made some version of this before because you can make a very spur-of-the-moment soup with the contents of your veg drawer. Just cut up some vegetables then cook them in a little oil in a large saucepan for a few minutes. The broth is whatever combination of stock and water you have on hand and a dollop of tomato paste. If you want to add any vegetables that are best cooked quickly – such as the kale – add them towards the end of the cooking period so they don’t discolor too much. I added store bought tortellini because the rain made me in the mood for a hearty soup. Plus I had it in the freezer (one of those impulse buys).

Okay. So now you see how happy soup has made me, but what about you? It’s February. You may have been eating soup all winter long. So soup may be a “ho hum… been there done that” kinda thing for you.

But for me it’s more than that. I gotta make this Hearty Tortellini Soup a super soup! GREG

Expand Recipe…

Hearty Tortellini Soup 

By: Greg Henry

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 12Source Adapted from Cooking LightPublished February 23, 2022

You may want to halve this recipe and that works well. This soup is best if eaten soon after it’s made. When the tortellini sit in the broth too long they loose their best shape and texture.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cup chopped fennel bulb
• ¼ package sliced garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 16 ounce cremini mushrooms (quartered or halved depending on size)
• 8 cup unsalted vegetable stock
• 4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 (15 oz) cans fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
• 2 (15 oz) cans unsalted chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 6 cup stemmed and chopped curly kale
• 12 ounce cheese tortellini (store-bought)
• 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• grated Parmesan (for serving)

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Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms first release their liquid and the begin to reabsorb that liquid. Then add the onion, fennel, and garlic and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add stock, water, pepper, salt, and chickpeas; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow the soup to simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in kale. Gently add tortellini. Cook 8 minutes or until tortellini are done.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Serve soup warm with grated Parmesan.