Chicken Soup without the Chicken
This was invented to comfort a neighbor who was suffering with the flu and needed some sympathy. I had no chicken for the traditional cure, chicken soup, so I made it without the chicken. Did I mention that I'm not fond of cooking but I felt some gesture of commiseration would be in order?
Cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Squeeze into it the contents of a couple links of hot Italian sausage. Stir it around until it changes color. Add an enormous quantity of chopped onions (I used frozen) and enough garlic that would make its presence known even through blocked nasal passages (I used garlic in a jar).
Stir over medium flame until the sausage meat just starts to form a crust. Stand back and pour in the contents of a can or two of chicken stock or reconstituted chicken broth made with bouillon. Bring to a boil and add a small handful of raw pasta. Follow package directions until the pasta is done. Sprinkle in bruised herbs. (Another neighbor has a herb garden growing on the wall of his back porch. I was sure he wouldn't mind contributing to the welfare of our neighbor, so I grabbed some basil and oregano, while the house was still asleep.)
Continue heating just a few more minutes. Cool and decant into a large jar with character and a lid. (I used a couple mason jars. Like they say, presentation is everything.)