That’s Amore!

Published in The Advocate on February 10, 2009
Published in the Greenwich Time on February 10, 2009
Published in the Bradenton Herald on February 18, 2009

My roots are never more present than when I step into the kitchen and start making soup. Raised in an Italian-American community on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, I grew up eating not bowls of Campbell’s chicken noodle but instead homemade minestrone, paste e fagioli and Italian wedding soup. Only after moving away for college did I realize how odd my preference for Italian egg drop, known as stracciatella, might seem to my traditional chicken soup-eating friends.

As a child, I loved the intensity of flavor in these Italian specialties. Now I also appreciate the simplicity and flexibility of the recipes. In many instances I need only beans, a few vegetables, pasta and stock to create a hearty meal.

In the case of the Tuscan acquacotta, the name (translation: “cooked water”) suggests the scant ingredients list. Onions, celery, carrots, greens such chard or escarole, and a handful of herbs boil together in water rather than stock. Flavored by olive oil, salt and pepper, or a Parmesan cheese rind, acquacotta is one of the easiest, most delectable dishes around.

Whether cooked alongside the other ingredients or lavishly sprinkled over the top before serving, Parmesan cheese plays a prominent part in these soups. In the Roman stracciatella, grated Parmesan is whisked together with eggs, pepper and salt. The mixture is then drizzled into a boiling chicken broth. Cooked as they swirl about in the liquid, the cheesy eggs form the soup’s telltale, ragged strands.

When adding the eggs, I make a point of stirring the liquid as I pour. This way I ensure that I have shards of egg rather than one big, cheese-infused blob.

For a zestier offering I turn to minestrone. This thick, vegetable-laden soup frequently contains pasta and beans as well as a liberal dusting of Parmesan cheese. Eaten with bread, it is, like most Italian soups, a meal in itself.

Recipes for minestrone vary from region to region. Cooks in Genoa add pesto, Venetians make theirs with anchovies while Neapolitans use pork.

The variations don’t end here. Some varieties of minestrone possess a dense consistency of boiled down vegetables while others are brothy with chunks of lightly cooked produce. The soup can be made with a meat- or chicken-based stock but also be vegetarian.

At Gigi Trattoria in Rhinebeck, N.Y., minestrone comes in the form of a light, vegetarian soup. The recipe is influenced by the northern region of Italy where the restaurant’s owner, cookbook author Laura Pensiero, previously lived.

Gigi’s minestrone begins with diced potatoes, Borlotti beans, carrots, celery, fresh oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Tomatoes aren’t present because, Laura explains, they aren’t as prevalent in the North.

To create a flavorful minestrone, Laura focuses on sauteing. “With the minestrone you should saute the vegetables with pure olive oil for longer than you would think necessary, adding fruttata olive oil to finish them,” she says. Cooks should also take into regard seasonal vegetables. In fall and winter Gigi Trattoria’s minestrone may include parsnips and other root vegetables. In spring it may have peas and asparagus.

Traditionally a meatless peasant dish, pasta e fagioli (or pasta and bean soup) features small pasta such as ditalini or elbow macaroni and beans such as cranberry, cannellini, Great Northern or, in a pinch, kidney beans. When in season, fresh beans are used. Otherwise, dried or canned will do.

As with the other soups, recipes for pasta e fagioli differ according to region or, in my case, what’s in the pantry. Some nights I may use chicken stock. Other times I opt for vegetable stock and a dab of tomato paste. Beans and pasta are a given. Pork is less so.

For chef Jennifer Girasole, pasta e fagioli begins with a mirepoix of chopped onions, celery and carrots plus garlic, tomato and hunks of prosciutto. Jennifer adds these and a rind of Parmesan to chicken stock.

“I start with a fat — butter, olive oil, fat from pancetta — and let the vegetables sweat and caramelize.

For maximum flavor I then allow the soup to simmer so that the ingredients meld into the broth. It thickens naturally as the beans cook and break down,” says Jennifer, who serves as executive chef at Girasole in Pittsburgh.

When I think of both Italian soups and Pittsburgh, steaming pots of greens-filled wedding soup invariably spring to mind. Studded with bite-sized meatballs and flecks of chicken, this aromatic soup dates back to ancient Roman times.

The popular meaning behind “wedding soup” is likewise a mistake, this time in the translation of “ministra maritata.” In my hometown wedding soup was reputed to be the delicacy of newlyweds, a food to fortify them for their wedding night. In actuality the wedding refers not to people but to the successful marriage of greens and meat in the soup.

No matter what the translation, wedding soup remains, for me, an icon of Italian cuisine. “Wedding soup has been on the menu for forever, from the time my grandfather opened the restaurant 60 years ago,” says John DelPizzo, co-owner of Del’s Ristorante in Pittsburgh.

For those trying wedding soup at home, John emphasizes using homemade, well-cooked stock and the proper greens. “Use escarole,” he advises. “Spinach is too delicate and won’t hold up to longer cooking.”

Whether craving a zesty yet wholesome meal or merely feeling a bit nostalgic, I reach for my treasure trove of Italian soup recipes. Easy and filling, these soups meet all my lunch and dinner needs.

STRACCIATELLA

7 cups chicken stock
3 eggs
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Bring the stock to a boil. Whisk together the eggs, cheese, basil, salt and pepper.

Slowly pour the egg mixture into the boiling stock, stirring to break up the eggs. Continue to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring periodically to keep the eggs from sticking together. Serve immediately.

VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

For the vegetable stock:
4 stalks celery, washed, ends removed and cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 leeks, halved, washed and drained
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters
10 cups water

For the soup:
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, washed, peeled and cubed
1 celery rib, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups vegetable stock
1 potato, washed, peeled and diced
1 zucchini, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup de-seeded and diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/4 cup orzo
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Parmesan cheese, optional for grating over top of soup

Bring the water to a boil. Add the chopped vegetables, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Strain the vegetables from the stock and return the liquid to a large pot.

Heat two tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, cwelery and garlic, and saute until very soft and translucent, adding the other tablespoon of oil if necessary.

Bring the stock to a boil. Add the sauteed vegetables and cook for about 30 minutes. Add the potatoes, zucchini, peas, tomatoes and half of the seasonings. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 20 minutes, adding water if the liquid reduces too much. Pour in the orzo and remaining seasonings and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the orzo is soft. Serve immediately with, or without, a liberal grating of Parmesan cheese.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

2 cups dried cranberry (borlotti) beans, soaked overnight in cold water
8 cups cold water, plus extra if needed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 white onion, diced
2 carrots, washed, peeled and diced
1 celery rib, diced
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8 ounces ditalini or other small, tube-shaped pasta
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

Drain the beans and place them in a large saucepan or small stockpot. Cover with the 8 cups of water and bring them to a boil. Cook for 25 minutes, until they are still crisp but cooked.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan and then add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute until the vegetables have softened and turned translucent, at least 10 minutes. Tumble the sauteed vegetables into the stockpot and add the rosemary and tomato paste. Continue cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes before adding the pasta, salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese on top before serving.

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

For the miniature meatballs:
3 slices dry bread
3/4 pound lean ground beef
2 small eggs, whisked together
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the soup:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, washed, peeled and diced
1 celery rib, washed and diced
8 cups chicken stock
4 cups chopped escarole
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for grating

To make the meatballs:
Soak the bread in water for 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze out the liquid, tear the bread into small pieces and place a medium-sized bowl. Add the ground beef, eggs, cheese, parsley, onion, oregano and salt.

Mix the ingredients together until well combined. Using your hands, form the meat into balls roughly 1-inch in diameter.

After heating the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, saute the miniature meatballs until browned. Set aside until ready to add to the soup.

To make the soup:
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and saute until very soft and translucent.

Bring the stock to a boil. Add the sauteed vegetables, escarole, salt, pepper and meatballs, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Spoon into bowls, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

© 2009, Kathy Hunt. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.

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