Sausage and Mushroom Soup

• • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 1/4 pounds mild Italian sausages

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced

  • 7 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 2 sprigs fresh

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes

  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 parmesean rind

  • 1 sprig rosemary

  • 1 tablespn of wakame flakes

  • 1 3/4 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 pound small pasta

  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove. When cool enough to handle, cut the sausages into 1/8-inch slices.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot over moderately low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 min- utes. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the broth, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, wakame, rosemary, parm rind and the salt

to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the sausages and bring back to a boil. Add the pasta, reduce the heat, and simmer un- til just done, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and the black pep- per.