It's still winter out there, in fact as I write this I'm looking at snowflakes falling. To me, there's nothing like a bowl of hot steamy soup to warm me up, and this one fits the bill. Not only is it quick to make, providing you have all the ingredients, but it's also very healthy and light, there's not one bit of flour in these dumplings!

Cheesy ricotta dumplings flavored with fresh parsley, parmesan cheese and a hint of garlic bathing in a bowl of broth, doesn't that sound good? You can even use a veggie broth if you like, and maybe even add a few fresh spinach leaves right into your bowl for extra color and flavor.

Heres the recipe:

Adapted from a 1998 La Cucina Italiana magazine

1 pound ricotta

3 cloves of minced garlic

Italian parsley minced

1 cup bread crumbs

7 ounces of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 eggs

12 cups of good chicken broth, homemade or store bought, plus extra for cooking dumplings in.

Combine the first 6 ingredients into a bowl, make sure everything is incorporated. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into cherry tomato sized balls, set aside. This recipe gives you at least 24 to 30 ricotta balls.

These little dumplings tend to puff up so try not to overcrowd them like I did in the photo above, otherwise they might hit each other and break up a bit. Simmer slowly in some of the extra hot broth until they're cooked through. They rise to the top and double in size when they're done.

The reason I like to cook my dumplings first separately in some of the extra broth, is because in case a dumpling breaks, or tiny pieces of dumpling break off it won't cloud up all your broth, I think it just looks visually better that way.

Then carefully take them out with a slotted spoon, place as many cooked dumplings you want in their individual bowls and ladle some of the existing 12 cups of broth you have preserved, so the 12 cups should be enough to cover the 24-30 dumplings you will make, and you'll need at least an extra 4 cups to pre-cook your dumplings in.

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Today was in the 50's, a little windy, and a perfect day for a pot of soup! This is one of my favorites, because the flavors go so good together.

There's something so comforting about a big pot of soup simmering on the stove on a cold day!

I have to admit, I'm all about modern conveniences ONLY if the quality is good, and If your lucky enough to have a Trader Joes in your neighborhood and haven't tried their box stocks please do! They make life so much easier! I know you can also pick these up in any local store now, these boxed stocks are everywhere. I just like Trader Joes cause their prices are so good! Their pre-cooked lentils are fantastic too, already cooked, you just cut open the bag and pour them in. How easy is that!!! So you can whip up a great meal in no time, that tastes like its been simmering all day!!

Heres what you'll need

1 carrot diced

2 stalks of celery diced

1 onion chopped

1 lb. of Italian sausage, hot or mild ( I used Turkey Italian sausage it works great!)

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 14.5oz. can of fire roasted tomato's

1t. ground fennel

1t.thyme

1t. oregano

S&P to taste along with some red pepper flakes

1 box or 2 cups of dry lentils ( I use more)

6 to 8 cups of chicken stock ( 2 boxes)

In a nice pot brown your sausage and drain, with the Turkey I didn't have to. Then put some olive oil in the bottom and saute veggies and garlic. Open up the stock, pour that in, along with all the spices and lentils, stir it up, semi cover it and let it cook for about 1/2 hour. It will be longer if you are using dry lentils.

When it's done I take an immersion blender to one side of the pot to thicken it up a little.

I usually double the recipe because it freezes good

Top it off with shaved Parm and a drizzle of olive oil!

Buon Appetito!!