Easy Italian Bird & Buck Soup

" Think of it fondly like you would a gun-toting Italian grandma."

When the flu bug spreads like wildfire, one of the most requested meals is a bowl of hot soup to warm the bones. Here’s a wild game twist on classic chicken noodle soup. It uses nutrient-rich homemade wild game stock, poached upland bird meat of choice, and some slices of grilled, or fried smoked venison brats. The addition of diced tomatoes, fennel, basil, Parmesan, and ditalini pasta, (“small thimbles”), add a nice Italian flavor. It is a bold, satisfying dish of simple, quality ingredients. Think of it fondly like you would a gun-toting Italian grandma bringing dinner home from the field. Now, isn’t that a comforting thought?

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 cups homemade wild game stock (substitute chicken or vegetable stock if needed.)

• 1-14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil

• ½ -¾ C cooked upland bird meat

• 2 smoked venison brats, sliced thin and fried

• ½ medium onion, diced

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 1 teaspoon dried fennel (or ½ C chopped fresh)

• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1T fresh)

• ½ T lemon juice

• 3 cups cooked ditalini pasta

• Parmesan cheese

• Greens for garnish (I used kale sprouts)

METHOD:

1. Fill a large pan with stock and bring to a simmer. Add tomatoes, onion, celery, dried fennel seed, and dried basil. Simmer until vegetables are tender.

2. Add bird meat, brat slices, pasta, and lemon juice. Heat through.

3. Ladle up into serving dishes. Add sliced, or micro planed Parmesan, and some baby kale or arugula, and serve.

Grab your favorite spoon, round up the family, and let this hearty soup chase away the chill. After all, nothing says comfort quite like a meal that’s part field adventure, part Italian kitchen magic. Mangia! Mangia!