Italian Turnip Soup Mellowed With Rice Food

ITALIAN CHICKEN RICE SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine the broth, spaghetti sauce, chicken, parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in rice and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until heated through.

ITALIAN RED LENTIL AND BROWN RICE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, diced tomatoes, red lentils, brown rice, Italian seasoning, celery flakes, white pepper, and marjoram. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils break down and rice is tender, about 55 minutes.
• Stir balsamic vinegar into the soup just before serving.

LEEK, TURNIP AND RICE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the leeks. Cook, stirring often, until leeks are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the turnips and continue to cook, stirring often, until the turnips are translucent and the leeks thoroughly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the stock or water, salt, bay leaf and rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. If serving as is, add pepper, stir in the parsley and serve, over croutons if desired, passing Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

CREAMY TURNIP SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half., Add turnips, broth and potato. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool slightly., In a food processor, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to pan. Stir in cream, salt and nutmeg; heat through., Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach; cook and stir just until wilted. Serve with soup.

QUICK ITALIAN RICE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium high heat, cook ground beef and onions, breaking up larger ground beef pieces, until beef is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. Drain off fat.
• Stir in tomatoes, beans, and broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. When mixture begins to bubble, add vegetables and rice. Allow to come back to a simmer; reduce heat to medium for a gentle simmer.
• Cook until rice is tender and vegetables are warmed through, about 8 minutes.

ITALIAN TURNIP SOUP MELLOWED WITH RICE

Steps:

• Note: I treated these like apples; I cut them into quarters, used a paring knife to peel them, and then diced them; At the market, 3 large turnips= one pound; Just weigh them at the grocery store to get the right amount.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over high heat.
• When the foam subsides, sauté the turnips, tossing frequently, for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Add the broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to moderate, and cook, covered for 10 minutes.
• After that, stir in the rice and cook the mixture, covered, until the rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Just before serving, stir in the parsley and the Parmesan cheese.
• Serve immediately.

TOMATO-RICE SOUP, ITALIAN STYLE

Steps:

• If using fresh tomatoes, use a food mill or press them through a colander. Set aside.
• Melt butter in large sauce pan. Saute onion and celery until the onion is clear and celery is soft.
• Combine tomato puree or ready-cut tomatoes, broth, and onion-celery mixture in blender. Blend until smooth. Push through a medium seive to remove any remaining celery strings. Pour back into sauce pan. Add seasonings and uncooked rice. Simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until rice is tender and soup has thickened somewhat.
• NOTE: if using white rice, reduce cooking time to 20-30 minutes.
• Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.