Ingredients:
* 1 pound Italian sausage
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
* 1 cup sliced carrots
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
* 2 small zucchini, cubed
* 2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.
Footnotes
Enjoy with an Italian red wine like Chianti Classico.
"Also known as "carabaccia", this is a local specialty in Florence, and is hard to find even in cookbooks specializing in Italian soups! The effect should be rich and somewhat sweet (but not too much). Adding roasted garlic would be a good variation."
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 4 pounds onions
* 2 teaspoons white sugar
* salt to taste
* 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine
* 1 quart chicken broth
* 1 small cinnamon stick
* 4 cups cubed, stale French or Italian bread
Direction:
1. In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cut onions in half lengthwise, then slice thinly. Place sliced onions in pot and toss to coat with oil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and beginning to color, 30 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, uncovered, until onions are amber in color, 45 minutes.
3. Sprinkle onions with sugar and a little bit of salt; cook, stirring, until sugar melts and onions are caramel colored, 5 minutes. Pour in wine and broth, and place cinnamon stick in pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
4. Stir the bread into the soup and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the bread disintegrates, 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick. Whisk the soup to incorporate the bread. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
"A great soup for dinner, can be made as spicy as you like, and freezes wonderfully. Add freshly grated Parmesean to the top, and serve with a hot crusty piece of ciabatta bread. YUM!"
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
* 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
* 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
* 1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
* 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes
* 5 cups chicken broth
* 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
* 1 cup uncooked pasta shells
Direction:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until evenly browned, and break into pieces. Stir in the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, rosemary, red pepper, and sage. Continue cooking 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in tomatoes, and cook until heated through. Stir in the broth and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Stir pasta into soup, and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
We've added spinach to this classic Italian soup to create a dish that's both filling and delicious.
Active time: 10 min
Start to finish: 20 min
Servings: Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
1 (12-inch) length of crusty baguette, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into thirds
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing bread
2 cups water
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (24 fl oz)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus additional for serving
1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach (not thawed)
1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/2 cup) plus additional for serving
2 large eggs, beaten
Preparation
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
Brush cut sides of baguette with oil. Arrange, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat water with broth, salt, and pepper in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart saucepan over moderate heat until hot. Stir in frozen spinach and cheese and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until spinach is just tender, about 8 minutes.
Add beaten eggs in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly.
Serve with freshly ground pepper and a slice of toasted baguette in the soup.
Gremolata (a classic Italian garnish made from lemon peel, parsley, and garlic) gets a new twist here with the addition of tarragon.
Servings: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
5 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (14 to 15 cups)
4 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 4 large)
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1 small garlic clove, minced
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine asparagus, leeks, and oil in very large bowl; toss to blend. Divide between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until asparagus pieces are soft and leeks are golden, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes; cool on sheets.
Spoon 1/3 of vegetables into blender; add 2 cups broth. Blend until smooth. Transfer to large pot. Repeat 2 more times, using half of remaining vegetables and 2 cups broth for each batch. Warm soup over medium heat, thinning with more broth by 1/2 cupfuls, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover; chill. Rewarm before continuing.
Mix parsley, lemon peel, tarragon, and garlic in small bowl for gremolata.
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with gremolata and serve.
Zuppa di Pesce
Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr (includes making stock)
Servings: Makes 6 to 8 main-course servings.
Ingredients
For soup
1 lb cleaned squid, bodies and tentacles separated but kept intact
1/2 lb large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per lb), peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 cup dry white wine
4 1/2 cups water
12 small hard-shelled clams such as littlenecks (less than 2 inches in diameter), scrubbed
12 mussels (preferably cultivated), scrubbed and beards removed
4 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice (32 fl oz)
2 (14-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 lb skinless halibut fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
For garlic toasts
1 (12-inch) Italian loaf, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Accompaniment: extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Preparation
Make soup:
Rinse squid under cold running water and pat dry. If squid are large, halve ring of tentacles, then cut longer tentacles crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Pull off flaps from squid bodies and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bodies crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings.
Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear shrimp in 2 batches, turning over once, until golden but not cooked through, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano to pot and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds. Add wine and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened clams after 8 minutes.) Stir in mussels and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened mussels after 6 minutes.)
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
Add stock to pot along with remaining 4 cups water, tomatoes with juice, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
Make toasts while stock simmers:
Arrange bread slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet, then drizzle with oil and season with salt. Bake, turning over once, until golden, about 10 minutes total. Transfer toasts to a rack to cool slightly, then rub lightly with cut sides of garlic and sprinkle with parsley.
Finish soup:
Add halibut to stock and cook at a bare simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in squid and reserved shellfish, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 minute. Stir in basil and parsley and serve immediately, with toasts alongside for dipping.
