Jackson Jambalaya

Eat your Tuscan immigrant heart out George Clooney!

From a culinary point, Italy is a lot like our country in that the popular dishes vary from region to region/ Also, it's not too hard to find a guy like me that enjoys eating all of the regional options. 

I need to be sure to tell you even though I have a nice selection of regional Italian dishes in my head and can eat spaghetti with gusto equal to the best old Italian guy you might want to put up against me, I am not an expert on Italian cooking. When I dream up a dish and need to link it to some region, I usually go to Mr. Google and rely on his culinary knowledge to help me sound like I know what I am talking about.

When I think Italian, I am always happiest when my thoughts go to Tuscany, maybe because that is where George Clooney lives with that swell looking Italian lady lawyer (Amal Clooney) and I like his acting in movies like Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Wolfs, Gravity, Bla-Bla-Bla. Also, I think he and Bradd Pitt are best buds, and I might like to shoot a game of snooker at Tall Man's and have a beer and a bologna sandwich with Brad.

Of course, my pleasant Tuscan thoughts might be because I like pasta with sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and some sort of meat, like shrimp or Italian Sausage. 

More than likely, it is because if I had the kind of money George has, I would also have a house in Tuscany, just down the road from him and Amal and we could invite them and their kids over for potato salad, BBQ ribs, chicken thighs, and smoked brisket on the Fourth of July. Brad could come too if he is in town. I would have beer for him if he showed up because I like beer, too, just not mixed with wine.

In my mind, Tuscany would be a swell place to jet into for a week or two getaway. Why? Well, it's usually nice and warm, I like red wine as much as the next guy, and I really like those tall skinny trees the Impressionist painters were so fond of painting.

Oh well, my foolish daydreams need to be over, unless I hit the Bigg'a Ball'a Lottery this week and then, all bets are off.

This week's recipe uses more than a few of my favorite ingredients (butternut squash, onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, baby spinach, orzo pasta, shrimp, heavy cream) and when I proofread this, I discovered it uses none of the ingredients I don't like.

The recipe results in a Tuscan style soup we like at our house, and you might like it too.

Dang! I forgot. I topped the soup with bacon, and everyone likes bacon! OK, almost everyone....

Here is how I make this Tuscan style soup.

Butternut Squash, Shrimp and Orzo Pasta Soup.

Ingredients:

2 cups Butternut Squash, 3/4 - 1 inch cubed
1/2 cup Orzo Pasta
30 – 40 medium Shrimp, raw or cooked
2 cups Baby Spinach, rough chopped
3 slices Bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 small onion, rough diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Celery
1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomato
2 cups Vegetable broth plus 1 cup water
1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Chicken Paste
1 cup Heavy Cream
Salt, Black Pepper – To taste
Cajun Seasoning – To taste

Directions:

Peel and season shrimp with 1/2 Tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, then set aside. I used precooked shrimp because I had them. Using raw peeled shrimp is fine too. I used a Cajun spice blend because I like it.

Peel and dice (into 3/4 -1 inch pieces) 1/2 of a medium butternut squash (to yield 2 cups)

Cut three slices of bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook until crispy to render fat. Set cooked bacon aside and retain the fat.

Parboil 1/2 cup of Orzo pasta in lightly salted water for eight to ten minutes. It won't be quite done at that point, but cooking of the orzo will be completed in the soup to allow release of some of the pasta starch into the cream broth. After the 10 minute precook, drain and set it aside in cool water until needed.

Sauté the onion until translucent in 1-2 Tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat.

Add diced butternut squash, diced celery, and a splash of water and cook with lid for three minutes to soften the squash and celery. I did this in a skillet. You can do it in the pot you will use to cook your soup. That might even be better because you won't lose any flavor. 

Add the parboiled rice and cook at a low boil until rice is (tender/done/soft). Make certain the rice cooks fully. Crunchy orzo pasta is not acceptable.

After a few minutes, turn heat to lowest setting and add the shrimp. These are already cooked, but using raw shrimp works, too.

Allow the soup to sit for ten minutes so the flavors can do their thing, then serve, topped with bacon bits and a nice crusty bread to soak up the creamy liquid. Good for a fall or winter night. Like all soup, the leftovers are great too.

In the spirit of Chicago politics, the PolyBear wanted me to remind you guys to honor next week's election and:

!!!! VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN !!!!

Thanks for looking at my post.
God Bless You.