More soup? Why, yes, thank you! Zuppa di Pasta Alfredo
So there’s this train of recipes just patiently waiting to be posted on the site…but the thing is, is that I’ve been busy with the aftermath of the kids being home. Yes, I am *still* finding remnants of those twisty tie things they so abundantly fasten kids’ toys with today in the strangest of corners. The aftermath of the holiday vacation has been keeping me busy…everything seems to be out of place. Like, why on Earth is that sock hanging from the door handle? Why are *all* of the dvd’s out of their cases? And OH! Watch out! Remote control car on the loose! So. My sweet little recipes are all waiting patiently in line at . Asking which one gets to be first….”Pick me! Pick me!” they say. Hopefully I will be able to post them all over the next week (supposing that I can keep up with the newer things I plan to make, and not perpetuate the queue! haha).
This recipe comes to us from my Mom, Carla. She made a similar one over the holidays and sent me the recipe. It sounded SO good! And dang…it sure was! It makes a huge batch, though, so if you’re not feeding a large family or an army, you might want to scale it back a bit. I sort of took the “idea” of her recipe and ran with it, I looked at the ingredient list added some stuff, subtracted some stuff, and winged it. This is one of those soups that is a whole meal in itself, hearty, satisfying and oh, so good. I hope you like it as much as we did! 
And now for something new…I’d like to suggest a Rosé wine to accompany this soup…something not too dry, not too fruity, with just a hint of a bubble, but not quite…El Coto Rosado.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, peeled and diced
1 pound chicken breast, diced
2 zucchini, chopped
1 head broccoli, in florets
1 head cauliflower, in florets
1 cup peas
4 quarts chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated grana padano cheese
2 cups tortellini
Preparation:
In a large (huge) stockpot, melt butter and saute garlic first, until golden.
Add onions, carrots and celery and saute a couple of minutes more.
Add chicken and brown (good brown bits make for delicious soup!).
Add remaining vegetables and broth and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, prepare alfredo.
Melt butter in a saucepan, then whisk in flour, salt and pepper…throw in some garlic powder too.
Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Stir the sauce constantly until thickened.
Then remove from heat and whisk in cheese.
Adjust seasoning.
Whisk the sauce into the soup quickly.
Add tortellini and cook 15 minutes more.
