I really only needed to make the soup, but I have so many eggs in my refrigerator...I wanted to get rid of a few. It was a soup type of day, so I decided to just make both. I also made Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes (a Paula Deen absolutely terrible for you, based off of processed foods type of recipe. I peeled and cooked my huge butternut squash this afternoon. I just put enough water so that the squash wouldn't stick to the bottom of the pot and simmered it until the squash was very tender. Then I pureed the squash, omitting the juice at the bottom of the pan to achieve the right consistency, until the squash was smooth. I measured out 1 3/4 c which is equal to 1 15-oz can of canned pumpkin. I had enough left over afterwards for about 2 more cans worth. Yippee!!).
The soup was pretty easy to make. I sauteed 1 c chopped onion, 1 carrot sliced 1/4" thick, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and the chopped stems of one small bunch of baby bok choy (about 1/2 c I think...) for about 5 minutes. I added 5 c chicken broth (frozen from a much earlier chicken), 2 c water, 1/2 c chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dry packed--not packed in oil), 1/2 t dried basil, 1/4 t black pepper, and bay leaf and brought the soup to a boil. I simmered until I was about 10 minutes away from being ready to eat (in other words, I simmered it until whenever Curtis got home). At that point, I added approximately 2 c chopped baby bok choy leaves (regular bok choy would work fine, I just had the baby bok choy), and 1 1/2 c fresh cheese tortellini--about one 8 oz package of fresh tortellini. I simmered for 7 minutes (or maybe a little less) until the tortellini was al dente. If you use dried tortellini (found in the pasta aisle), increase the liquid significantly. The cooking time will also increase because it takes longer for dry pasta to absorb liquid (and it will continue to absorb liquid for a day or so).
I definitely recommend using fresh tortellini. It is more expensive, but it is so much better in the soup. I had forgotten how much I love this soup until I had it again tonight. It was a hit with both Curtis and I. J wasn't terribly interested in supper---he ate the oven cheese fondue, but we couldn't convince him to even taste the pasta. Maybe for lunch tomorrow. M's flu was back today and she opted for homemade applesauce for supper (we're following the BRATY diet right now...).
For the oven cheese fondue: Beat 5 eggs (which is why I made this recipe) until they are lemon colored. Add 1 t salt, a dash of pepper, and 2- 3 c grated cheddar cheese and mix well. Add 2 1/2 c hot milk and 1 quart (about 4 slices) cubed bread. Pour into greased 7 x 11" baking pan or a casserole dish. Bake in preheated 325 oven for 30 minutes (for a 7 x 11" pan. A casserole dish will take between 45 - 60 minutes depending on how thick the mixture is). Top with chopped parsley just before serving.
Like I said, J loved this part of the meal. I don't think I cooked it long enough, but Curtis also still liked it ok (he said he would have liked it better if I cooked it longer). I used whole wheat bread instead of the white bread I am used to using and that changed the texture of the bread considerably. I didn't particularly like how this turned out. I don't know if it was the whole wheat bread, the slightly undercooking it, or just not liking it tonight.
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