Italian Vegetable Soup

 

This one goes out to all my vegetarian friends. The more recipes I see that are vegetarian, the more I am drawn to them. I've found myself craving greens, beans and grains and not even missing a meat protein. I couldn't even tell you why, exactly, because as much as I love furry animals, I don't really mind eating them. I do respect that decision to not eat meat; I'm just not quite prepared to not have a little taste of bacon or cheese every now and then. They add a lot of flavor. However, something as good as this soup doesn't need anything else added to it to make it delicious. Except for a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Rosemary-Semolina Round with Sesame and Sea Salt

 

My mom loves to bake and she taught me to love it too. I'm so grateful to her for showing me techniques like cutting in butter for pastry or kneading dough for bread. It never occurred to me to be afraid of these things. I grew up in the kitchen by my mom's side, if not actively participating, then observing (and tasting) and at least getting familiar with the more involved aspects of baking. I'm pretty sure I was first introduced to the magic of yeast in the form of Butterhorn Crescents, which are a staple at our house every Thanksgiving. I'll be sure to share that recipe with you, but first, let me introduce you to the bread I'm convinced you'll want to have around this fall for all those soups we're going to  make together.