9. To make the flavored oil, put the mashed, peeled garlic cloves and the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet and turn on the heat to medium. When the garlic becomes colored a light nut brown, add the chopped rosemary or the whole sprig, turn off the heat, and stir two or three times. Pour the oil through a strainer into the pot, discarding the garlic and rosemary. Simmer the soup for another few minutes.
10. Transfer the soup to a large serving bowl to bring to the table. Something made of earthenware in a deep terra-cotta color would be quite handsome. Put the optional grilled bread slices into individual plates or bowls and ladle a first serving of soup over them.
Chick Pea Soup
THERE IS a sweet depth of flavor to chick peas that distinguishes them from all other legumes. In the countries on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean they continue to be popular after more than 5,000 years of cultivation. Soup is one of the tastiest things one can do with chick peas. This one is lovely on its own, and it can be varied adding either rice or pasta. Unlike canned kidney beans, which can be mushy, canned chick peas can be very good and, if you don’t mind the slightly higher cost, you needn’t bother with soaking and cooking dried chick peas.
For 4 to 6 servings
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, crushed fine almost to a powder, OR a small sprig of fresh rosemary
⅔ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
¾ cup dried chick peas, soaked and cooked, OR 2¼ cups canned chick peas, drained
1 cup Basic Homemade Meat Broth, OR 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Put the garlic and olive oil in a pot that can subsequently accommodate all the ingredients, and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the garlic cloves until they become colored a light nut brown, then remove them from the pan.
2. Add the crushed rosemary leaves or the fresh sprig, stir, then put in the cut-up tomatoes with their juice. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the oil floats free from the tomatoes.
3. Add the drained cooked or canned chick peas and cook for 5 minutes, stirring them thoroughly with the juices in the pan.
4. Add the broth or the dissolved bouillon cube, cover, and adjust heat so that the soup bubbles at a steady, but moderate boil for 15 minutes.
5. Taste and correct for salt. Add a few grindings of pepper. Let the soup bubble uncovered for another minute, then serve promptly.
Ahead-of-time note The soup can be made in advance and refrigerated for at least a week in a tightly sealed container. If making it ahead of time, do not add any salt or pepper until you reheat it just before serving.
Version with Rice
For 8 servings
Chick Pea Soup
3 cups (or more) Basic Homemade Meat Broth, OR 2 bouillon cubes dissolved with 3 cups water
1 cup rice, preferably Italian Arborio rice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt
1. Purée all but a quarter cupful of the chick pea soup through the larger holes of a food mill into a soup pot. Add the rest of the soup, all the broth or dissolved bouillon, and bring to a steady, but moderate boil.
2. Add the rice, stir, cover the pot, and cook, letting the soup bubble steadily, but moderately, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite. Check after about 10 to 12 minutes to see if more liquid is needed. If the soup is becoming too dense, add more homemade broth or water. When the rice is done, swirl in the olive oil, then taste and correct for salt. Let the soup settle for two or three minutes before serving.
Version with Pasta
Chick Pea Soup
2 cups (or more) Basic Homemade Meat Broth, OR 2 bouillon cubes dissolved with 2 cups water
Either maltagliati pasta, homemade with 1 egg and ⅔ cup flour, OR ½ pound small, tubular macaroni
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon butter
Salt
1. Purée one-third of the chick pea soup through the larger holes of a food mill into a soup pot. Add the rest of the soup and all the broth or dissolved bouillon and bring to a steady, but moderate boil.
2. Add the pasta, stir, cover the pot, and continue to cook at a moderate boil. If you are using homemade pasta, taste after 1 minute for doneness. If you are using macaroni pasta, it will take several minutes longer, but stop the cooking when the pasta is tender, but still firm to the bite. If, while the pasta is cooking, you find the soup needs more liquid, add a little more homemade broth or water.
3. When the pasta is done, turn off the heat, swirl in the grated Parmesan and the butter, taste, and correct for salt. Serve immediately.
Barley Soup in the Style of Trent
ONE OF THE outstanding features of the cooking of the northeastern region of Friuli and the neighboring Trentino is barley soup. The one given below owes its exceptional appeal to the successive layers of flavor laid down by the sautéed onion and ham, by the rosemary and parsley, and by the diced potato and carrot, which provide the ideal base for the wonderfully fortifying quality of barley itself.
For 4 servings
1¼ cups pearl barley
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
⅓ cup prosciutto OR pancetta OR country ham OR boiled unsmoked ham, chopped fine
½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves OR 1 teaspoon fresh chopped very fine
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 medium potato
2 small carrots or 1 large
1 bouillon cube
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Put the barley in a soup pot, add enough water to cover by 3 inches, put a lid on the pot, bring the water to a slow, but steady simmer, and cook for 1 hour or until the barley is fully tender but not mushy.
2. While the barley is cooking, put all the oil and the chopped onion in a small skillet, and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, and add the chopped ham, cooking it for 2 to 3 minutes and stirring it from time to time. Add the rosemary and parsley, stir thoroughly, and after a minute or less, turn off the heat.
3. Peel both the potato and carrot, rinse in cold water, and dice them fine (they should yield approximately ⅔ cup each).
4. When the barley is done, pour the entire contents of the skillet into the pot, add the diced potato and carrot, the bouillon cube, salt, and several grindings of pepper. Add a little more water if the soup appears to be too dense. It should be neither too thick nor too thin. Cook at a steady simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.
5. Off heat, just before serving, swirl the grated cheese into the pot. Serve promptly.
Ahead-of-time note The soup may be prepared one or two days in advance, but add the grated cheese only when you reheat it.
Broccoli and Egg Barley Soup
THE BARLEY in this soup is a coarse-grained homemade pasta product that is described in the pasta chapter, and it seems to have just the texture and consistency one wants here. One can, however, substitute cooked true barley, or, less satisfactorily, the small, grainy boxed soup pasta. One of the charms of this soup is the way the broccoli stems and florets are used, both sautéed in garlic and olive oil, but the first puréed to provide body, while the florets become delicious bite-size pieces, their tenderness in lively contrast to the chewy firmness of the pasta or real barley.
For 6 servings
A medium bunch fresh broccoli
Salt
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth
⅔ cup manfrigul, homemade pasta barley, OR cooked barley, OR ½ cup small, coarse, boxed soup pa
sta
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table
1. Detach the broccoli florets from the stalks. Trim away about ½ inch from the tough butt end of the stalks. With a sharp paring knife, peel away the dark green skin on the stalks and on the thicker stems of the florets. Split very thick stems in two lengthwise. Soak all the stalks and florets in cold water, drain, and rinse in fresh cold water.
2. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, which will keep the broccoli green, and put in the stalks. When the water returns to a boil, wait 2 minutes, then add the florets. If they float to the surface, dunk them from time to time to keep them from losing color. When the water returns to a boil again, wait 1 minute, then retrieve all the broccoli with a colander scoop or slotted spoon. Do not discard the water in the pot.
3. Choose a sauté pan that can accommodate all the stalks and florets without overlapping. Put in the oil and garlic, and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the garlic until it becomes colored a light gold. Add all the broccoli, some salt, and turn the heat up to high. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli florets to a plate and set aside. Do not discard the oil from the pan.
5. Put the broccoli stalks into a food processor, run the steel blade for a moment, then add all the oil from the pan plus 1 tablespoon of the water in which the broccoli had been blanched. Finish processing to a uniform purée.
6. Put the puréed stalks into a soup pot, add the broth, and bring to a moderate boil. Add the pasta or the cooked barley. Cook at a steady, gentle boil until the pasta is tender, but firm. Depending on the thickness and freshness of the pasta, it should take about 10 minutes. You will probably need to dilute the soup as it cooks, because it tends to become too dense. To thin it out use some of the reserved water in which the broccoli had been blanched. Take care not to make the soup too runny.
7. While the pasta is cooking, separate the floret clusters into bite-size pieces. As soon as the pasta is done, put in the florets, continue cooking for about 1 minute, add the chopped parsley, and stir. Taste and correct for salt, and serve the soup promptly with the grated Parmesan on the side.
Passatelli—Egg and Parmesan Strands in Broth
WHERE THE PROVINCE of Bologna stops, traveling southeast toward the Adriatic, the territory known as Romagna begins. A style of cooking is practiced here that, while it may bear a superficial resemblance to the Bolognese, holds more dear such values as lightness and delicacy. This simplest of soups is a good example of that approach and those virtues.
In Romagna a slightly concave, perforated disk with handles is used to produce the passatelli strands from the egg and Parmesan mixture, but it is possible to duplicate the result fairly closely using that essential tool of an Italian kitchen, a food mill.
For 6 servings
7 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth
¾ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese at the table
⅓ cup fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
Whole nutmeg
The grated peel of 1 lemon
2 eggs
Note The flavor of good homemade meat broth is so vital to this soup that no commercial substitute should be used.
1. Bring the broth to a steady, slow boil in an uncovered pot. In the meantime, combine the grated Parmesan, bread crumbs, a tiny grating—no more than ⅛ teaspoon—of nutmeg, and grated lemon peel on a pastry board or other work surface, making a mound with a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well, and knead all the ingredients to form a well-knit, tender, granular dough, somewhat resembling polenta, cooked cornmeal mush. If the mixture is too loose and moist, add a little more grated Parmesan and bread crumbs.
2. Fit the disk with large holes into your food mill. When the broth begins to boil, press the passatelli mixture through the mill directly into the boiling broth. Keep the mill as high above the steam rising from the pot as you can. Cook at a slow, but steady boil for 1 minute or 2 at the most. Turn off the heat, allow the soup to settle for 4 to 5 minutes, then ladle into individual plates or bowls. Serve with grated Parmesan on the side.
Stuffed Lettuce Soup
EASTER on the Italian Riviera is a time for roast baby lamb and stuffed lettuce soup. In the traditional version of this soup, the hearts of small lettuce heads are scooped out and replaced by a mixture of herbs, soft cheese, chicken, veal, calf’s brains, and sweetbreads. The much simpler version below, omitting the brains and sweetbreads, comes from a friend’s kitchen in Rapallo, and is immensely satisfying.
For 4 to 6 servings
½ pound veal, any cut as long as it is all solid meat
1 whole chicken breast, boned and skinned
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1½ tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon celery chopped very fine
1 tablespoon carrot chopped very fine
2 tablespoons fresh ricotta
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese for each serving
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram OR ¾ teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 egg yolk
3 heads Boston lettuce
4 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth
For each serving: 1 slice of bread toasted dark or browned in butter
1. Cut the veal and the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
2. Put all the butter in a large sauté pan and turn on the heat to medium. When the butter foam begins to subside, put in the veal with a pinch or two of salt and one or two grindings of pepper. Cook and turn the veal to brown it evenly on all sides, then transfer it to a plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula.
3. Put the chicken pieces in the pan, with a little salt and pepper, and cook briefly, just until the meat loses its raw shine. Transfer it to the plate with the veal.
4. Put the chopped onion into the pan and cook it at medium heat, stirring it, until it becomes colored a pale gold. Add the celery and carrot, stir from time to time, and cook the vegetables until they are tender. Pour the vegetables along with all the juices in the pan into a bowl.
5. Chop the cooked veal and chicken pieces very fine, using a knife or the food processor. Add the minced meat to the bowl.
6. Put the ricotta, the ½ cup grated Parmesan, the marjoram, parsley, and egg yolk into the bowl and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are smoothly amalgamated. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.
7. Discard any of the bruised or blemished outer leaves of the lettuce. Pull off all the others one by one, taking care not to rip them, and gently rinse them in cold water. Save the very small leaves at the heart to use on another occasion in a salad.
8. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and put in 3 or 4 lettuce leaves. Retrieve them after 5 or 6 seconds, using a colander scoop or skimmer.
9. Spread the leaves flat on a work surface. Cut away any part of the central rib that is not tender. On each leaf, place about 1 tablespoon of the mixture from the bowl, giving it a narrow sausage shape. Roll up the leaf, wrapping it completely around the stuffing. Gently squeeze each rolled up leaf in your hand to tighten the wrapping, and set it aside.
10. Repeat the above operation with the remaining leaves, doing them 3 or 4 at a time. No additional salt is needed when blanching them. When the leaves get smaller, slightly overlap 2 leaves to make a single wrapper.
11. When all the leaves have been stuffed, place them side by side in a soup pot or large saucepan. Pack them tightly, leaving no space between them, and make as many layers as is necessary. Choose a dinner plate or flat pot lid just small enough to fit inside the pan and rest it on the top layer of stuffed lettuce rolls to keep them in place while cooking.
12. Pour in enough broth to cover the plate or lid by about 1 inch. Cover the pot, bring the
broth to a steady, very gentle simmer, and cook for 30 minutes from the time the broth starts to simmer.
13. At the same time, pour the remaining broth—there should be no less than 1½ cups left—into a small saucepan, cover, and turn on the heat to low.
14. When the stuffed lettuce rolls are done, transfer them to individual plates or bowls, placing them over a single slice of toasted or browned bread. Handle gently to keep the rolls from unwrapping. Pour over them any of the broth remaining in the larger pot and all the hot broth from the small saucepan. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan over each plate and serve at once.
Clam Soup
THE FLAVOR of most Italian dishes is usually within reach of those who understand and practice the simplicity and directness of Italian methods. When it comes to seafood, however, one must sometimes take a more roundabout route to approach comparable results. The clams of my native Romagna, once so plentiful and cheap that in our dialect they were called povrazz—poveracce in Italian—meaning they were food for the poor, come out of the sea with so much natural, peppery flavor that next to nothing needs to be added when cooking them. North American clams, on the other hand, need all the help they can get. Thus, in the recipe that follows you will find shallots and wine and chili pepper, all of which you would very likely dispense with if you were making the dish somewhere on the Adriatic coast.
For 4 servings
3 dozen small littleneck clams live in their shells
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons shallots OR onions chopped very fine
2 teaspoons garlic chopped very fine
2 tablespoons parsley chopped very fine
¼ teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in ⅔ cup dry white wine
⅛ teaspoon chopped hot red chili pepper
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 14
