Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds celery (stalks and leaves), washed and diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Garnish
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Italian sausage links, meat removed from casings
1 cup bread cubes
Cracked black pepper
In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil and cook the onion and celery until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the broth and potato, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potato is fork tender, about 20 minutes. Add the parsley leaves and cook another 4 to 5 minutes.
Use a hand blender to puree the soup until smooth, or work in batches in a food processor and pulse until very smooth. Return to pot, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in the lemon juice and keep warm.
To prepare the garnish, heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the sausage meat over medium heat until lightly browned, breaking the meat up into small pieces as it cooks using two forks. Add the bread cubes to the sausage and cook until the bread is golden and crisp, stirring often to prevent burning.
Serve the soup in four individual bowls, then sprinkle the sausage, black pepper and croutons on top.
We thank italianfoodforever.com for this recipe.