Tuscan Minestrone

Serves 8
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, small dice
1 fennel bulb, small dice
2 carrots, peeled, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chardonnay
32 ounces chicken broth
2 each 28 ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup small pasta (datalini, orzo, couscous or macaroni)
1 14 ounce can garbanzo beans
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh flat Italian parsley, chopped
Salt to taste
Torn rustic bread, garnish
Olive oil, garnish

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add sausage and olive oil and cook until sausage is brown and crumbled.
3. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and put in bowl. Set aside.
4. Add onion, fennel and carrot to soup pot and cook over medium heat until slightly softened. Add garlic, bay leaf and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook 2 minutes or until wine smell is gone.
5. Return cooked sausage to soup pot. Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, celery seed, black pepper, pasta, garbanzo beans, thyme and parsley. Turn heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour.
6. To serve add 4-5 pieces of torn bread to bottom of bowl. Ladle soup over top of bread and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!!