1/2 pound Isernio’s hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1/2 pound Isernio’s sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon freeze-dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground anise
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 14.5-ounce can San Marzano diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup rich homemade chicken stock
1 24.5-ounce jar Mutti Tomato Passata
2 10-ounce cans Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1-2 15.24-ounce cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 10.5-ounce can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
Shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, to garnish
In a large heavy Dutch oven over medium heat brown the hot and sweet sausage meat, crumbling it as it cooks. Cook until meat is no longer pink, then add diced onions, thyme, rosemary, anise, salt and pepper and stir to blend. Add San Marzano tomatoes and chicken stock and bring mixture just to a boil. Lower the temperature to simmer and add passata, Ro-Tel tomatoes, corn, and cream of chicken soup. Stir to blend together well and simmer gently, uncovered, over low heat for at least 30 minutes (or longer); stir frequently. Garnish individual bowls of soup with cheese to serve. — Serves 8-10
A big pot of this hearty and very tasty soup is being enjoyed by our oldest son, Scott, and his fellow football fans as they cheer the Seahawks on in today’s home game. I recently found a similar recipe in a magazine — and I had Italian sausage on hand — so as I nearly always do, I changed the recipe by a lot so it would come out my way. We enjoyed it for one dinner and sent the rest off to another Grella household for Football Sunday. The ground anise is a key ingredient, and the Ro-Tel tomatoes may be increased (or decreased) to fit your own spicy tolerance. Some freshly-baked cornbread hot out of the oven would be a great addition!