Posted on April 1, 2011 Posted by Urban Deli

Recipe for Italian Wedding Soup

Italian wedding: scene from The Godfather (1972).

You don’t have to be Italian to enjoy Italian Wedding Soup and, with our current weather forecast, you may find it a very tasty way to ward off the chill of the next day or two.

Janet, one of our Urban Deli customers, came by one day and shared a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup with us. Not only that, she also brought in the finished dish and it was wonderful!

It’s great with something as simple as bread sticks, Italian bread or baguette. Of course, a nice wine would be nice too. 🙂

Thank you to Janet for both the recipe and the sample.

Ingredients:

– 6 cups chicken broth
– 1 package mild sausage
– 3 tbsp garlic
– 2 cups celery (chopped)
– 1 large red onion (chopped)
– 1 – 16 oz (300g) frozen spinach (chopped)
– 1/2 – 3/4 cup pearl barley

Preparation:

1 – Remove sausage meat from sleeve and make into meatballs. Sauté with garlic in a frying pan until cooked.

2 – In a large pot, sauté chopped celery, onions and garlic until soft.

3 – Add chicken broth, spinach and barley, sausage meatballs to cooked veggies.

4 – Simmer for 2 hours

Serve with freshly ground parmesan cheese and enjoy!

(Aside: according to Wikipedia, the phrase wedding soup, “… is a mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata (“married soup”), which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meat go well together.”)

Deli Menu

Below you’ll find our main, “in the restaurant” menu. This includes sandwiches, entrées, burgers, pasta and much more. Take out and catering orders – call us at 652.DELI (3354) – to-go container fees apply. (See menu below the pic.)

Montreal Smoked Meat

Soups

all soups served with a buttermilk biscuit
*Gluten Free

– Mulligatawny Mondays* – cup $4 | bowl $7
– Tomato Soup Tuesdays – cup $4 | bowl $7
– WTFS Soups – ask your server – cup $4 | bowl $7
– Split Pea & Ham* – cup $5 | bowl $8

_________

Choose one side for all sandwiches & burgers:

Daily Soup, Deli Frites, Pickles, Pasta Salad, Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Quinoa (for Quinoa add $.50 )
(Additional Side Options $3: House, Spinach or Caesar Salad)

Deli Specialties

Montreal Smoked Meat* – The best, east of Montreal! Sliced hot & piled high, Deli mustard on light rye bread $14
Uptown Big Beef Bad Boy* – shaved roast beef, a mix of sautéed onions, roasted red peppers, pepperoncinis (for a slight kick), Provolone cheese, horseradish aioli, Deli mustard & beef jus for dipping $14
Reuben* – Montreal smoked meat, mix of sauerkraut, bacon & onion, Swiss cheese, cumin curry Dijon mustard $12
Deli Meatloaf* – popular from day one!!! Deli meatloaf, sundried tomato spread, aged white cheddar, garlic aioli $12

Deli Delight Sandwiches

East Coast Club* – chicken, bacon, roasted red peppers, guacamole, tomato, lettuce, aioli (add cheese $1) $13
Philly Beef* – roast beef, sautéed mushroom & onions, garlic aioli, Swiss cheese $13
Chicken Cordon Bleu – lightly breaded chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, dijon aioli $13
Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese – lightly breaded chicken dipped in Franks Hot Sauce, melted aged cheddar and provolone cheese, Deli coleslaw $12
Curry Chicken Salad* – chopped chicken, red onion, celery, curry mayo, spinach, tomato – curry flavour without the heat! $11
Caprese* – Mozzafina, pesto, tomato, balsamic glaze (cold cuts add $2.50) $11
Mediterranean* – artichoke hearts, cucumber, black olives, feta, shaved red onion, roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomato, pesto, aioli $12
Chicken Parmesan – lightly breaded chicken breast, house made marinara sauce, pesto, mozzarella $12
Chicken Salad* – roasted chicken, cranberries, ‘toasted’ sunflower seeds, fennel, celery, carrots, honey, lemon, mayo, lettuce, tomato $11

Pressed Sandwiches

Vegetarian* – a mix of sautéed portabella mushrooms, roasted red peppers, lightly breaded eggplant, pepperoncinis, black olives, spinach, pesto, sundried tomato spread, Swiss cheese $12
Croque Monsieur* – ham, swiss cheese, UD cheese sauce $12
Cold Cut* – beef and genoa salamis, ham, mortadella, pepperoncinis, shaved red onion, provolone cheese, aioli, vinaigrette $13
Tuna Melt – tuna, onion, celery, pepperoncinis, mayo, melted mozzarella cheese $12
French Dip* – beef, aged white cheddar, UD creamy cheese sauce & au jus for dipping $13

Burgers

Urban Burger* – UD patty, lettuce, tomato, roasted garlic aioli $12
BIG Burger* – UD patty, bacon, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, spinach, aioli $14
PB Burger* – UD patty, bacon, aged cheddar, peanut butter, lettuce $13
Salmon Burger* – salmon fillet, spinach, tomato, lime caper aioli $13

Salads

Half salads available for Spinach, Caesar & Deli House
Add: chicken, tuna / curry chicken / ham / breaded chicken $5
Add: Salmon $8

Spinach Salad* – spinach, grilled portabella mushrooms, feta cheese, diced tomato, sausage meat bits, egg, maple vinaigrette $13
Cobb* – chopped romaine, (choose one: chicken, tuna, or potato salad), egg, ham, diced tomato, carrot, red onion, feta, vinaigrette dressing $14
Deli House* – romaine lettuce, bell peppers , artichoke hearts, shaved red onion, cucumber, pepperoncinis, black olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, breaded eggplant garnish, vinaigrette dressing $12
Caesar Salad UD Style* – chopped romaine, seasoned sausage meat bits, croutons, dressing, Parmasean cheese $12

Urban Deli Pasta Bowls*

Mac n’ Cheese* – UD signature cream sauce, aged white cheddar & Parmasean cheese – creamy! $13
Vegetarian Pesto Pasta* – sautéed portabella mushrooms, spinach, roasted red peppers in UD cream sauce $14
Coconut Curry Chicken* – pasta, roasted chicken, house made coconut curry sauce – great flavours! $14

* = available gluten-free
Please advise server if you are tested celiac, or choose no gluten.
We offer gluten-free products and do our best to reduce cross-contamination.
However, we are a deli.

______________________

Take – Out / Catering Orders call us at 652.DELI (3354)
to-go container fees apply

PLEASE ADVISE YOUR SERVER OF ALLERGIES

Posted on April 1, 2010 Posted by Urban Deli

Comments: Leave a comment

Romaine Greek salad with wild-caught shrimp (Oh! And lemonade with vodka)

I love making this type of salad, and on the weekend I took full advantage of my time and spent it doing other things rather than cooking.

The dressing:

Acids to oil ratio should be about 1:3 or 4. 1 part acid to 3 or 4 parts oil. I made enough dressing that could have done a serving for 4 or 5, so I only used a bit of it. I actually didn’t measure so my measurements are guesses, just so you know.

Juice of one whole lemon
A tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Olive oil, to the ratio above
Teaspoon of dried oregano
A couple squeezes of honey
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced or pressed
A pinch of Kosher salt, a few grinds of black pepper
Half teaspoon of your favourite mustard, I used whole grain

I mixed all of this into a mason jar, shook vigorously, and set aside.

Salad:

Romaine heart, one head
6 sweet cocktail tomatoes (they’re a smaller tomato available at the Superstore, really delicious for an out of season tomato)
Half a small red onion
Half an English cucumber
12 Kalamata olives
Several small cubes of feta cheese
One small carrot, grated
A couple handfuls of wild-caught Maritime shrimp (bought at Misty Harbour Seafood)

In a large bowl, I tossed everything but the shrimp with the dressing very well. A well-tossed salad needs little dressing. I shake my head at anyone who ever asks for dressing on the side, and then awkwardly tries to coat their salad on their plate, especially if they asked for it on the side to cut down on the amount of dressing on their plate. I then topped the salad with shrimp, and served some bread on the side.

Lemonade, two large servings:

Rind and juice of 7 lemons plus 2 shots of vodka
Let that infuse with about a half a cup of sugar (or more, to taste)
Because I had some on hand, I also put in a few Kaffir lime leaves

I let it sit for a few hours and then I strained it, poured over two tall glasses of ice, and added another shot of vodka to each glass.

I filled each glass ¾ full, topped with sparkling mineral water, stirred, and served.

***

Bio: Dan Jones is a food, drink, and travel writer from Saint John. Follow him on Twitter: @danjjj