soup Archives - Dinner in Venice

Pumpkin Soup with Pomegranate and the meaning of Sukkot

September 28, 2012 By dinnerinvenice 2 Comments

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Sukkot is an eight-day harvest holiday that starts four days after the fast of Yom Kippur; it is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.
In ancient Israel Jews would build huts (Sukkah = hut) near the end of their fields during harvest season, so that they could spend more time in the fields and harvest more efficiently. For us, Sukkot is a reminder of how our ancestors lived while wandering in the desert for 40 years (Leviticus 23:42-43), moving from one place to another and using tents (sukkot) for temporary shelter. Associated with these two meanings are three main traditions:

1 – Building a sukkah.
2 – Eating inside it.
3 – Waving the lulav and etrog.

(above, Sukkot seen by Italian artist Emanuele Luzzati)

Between Yom Kippur and Sukkot , those observant Jews who have the space construct a sukkah in their backyards or decks (in cities like Manhattan or Venice with a lot of small apartments, it’s normal to just share meals in the synagogue’s sukkah). In ancient times most people would just “move” to their sukkas for the whole holiday and even sleep there: nowadays few do, especially in colder climates, but it’s still customary to eat meals in the hut, or at least snacks, reciting a special blessing.

Since Sukkot celebrates the harvest, there is a custom of waving the etrog and lulav: (a kind of citron, similar to a big lemon/lime, and a bunch of myrtle,willow and palm twigs). The lulav and etrog are waved in all directions representing God’s power over the whole creation. All kids love decorating the sukkah with drawings, and mine are no exception!

As a fall harvest holiday, Sukkot celebrates the bounty of the new crops, and its food traditions revolve around seasonal vegetables and fruit. In this sense, some believe that the pilgrims may have come up with the idea of Thanksgiving inspired by the Biblical descriptions of Sukkot: after all, the Puritan Christians had landed on American shores in search of a place where they would finallly be free to worship as they pleased – a recurrent theme in Jewish history. Besides, just like the ancient Israelites, the pilgrims also had to dwell in makeshift huts (built with the help of the Indians) during their first cold winter in Massachusetts!

That’s why so many of you, unfamiliar with Jewish traditions, will immediately notice how Thanksgiving’s culinary themes mirror those of Sukkot.

All kinds of vegetables and fruit grace our tables, together with stuffed pies and pastries: stuffing one food inside another is in fact another metaphor for abundance. Many of these symbolic foods have already appeared on our Rosh haShana table, often in the form of a seder (served in a specific order and reciting blessings on each one).

Among these seasonal offerings, both the pumpkin and pomegranate stand out: in Venice we like our favorite local variety of pumpkin so much that we call it “suca baruca” (from the Hebrew “baruch”, “blessed / holy pumpkin”); as to pomegranate, it is so important in the Jewish tradition that Torah scrolls are decorated with silver ones – apparently because this fruit contains more or less 613 seeds, the number of the Mitzvot (commandments) that Jews are given to observe.

Why not combine these two symbols into a super-pretty and super-festive soup?

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 lbs cubed pumpkin
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
vegetable stock
1/2 orange (or 1/3 cup orange juice)
1 pomegranate (or 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds plus 1/3 cup pomegranate juice)
3 tablespoons mild extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
2 or 3 tablespoons coarsely ground hazelnuts (optional)

Directions

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and allow it to cook until soft (add little water if it starts sticking). Add the pumpkin and allow it to cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the orange zest and 1/3 cup of pomegranate juice (you can skip the juice if you prefer a less tangy flavor and a lighter color). Keep cooking until the juice has evaporated, then add enough hot vegetable stock to barely cover the pumpkin, salt and pepper, and cook until very tender. (at least 30 minutes).
Process with a hand mixer; adding more salt and stock as needed, and pour into individual bowls; decorate with the hazelnuts (if using), a few pomegranate seeds and salt. In the context of a dairy meal, you can decorate it with a little sour cream or Greek yogurt. Serve warm.

Filed Under: First course, Gluten Free, Jewish Italian Cuisine, Soup, Sukkot, Thanksgiving Tagged With: appetizer, cucina ebraica, dairy, Fall, food, gf, gluten-free, holiday, Italian recipes, Jewish cuisine, parve, pomegrana, pomegranate, pumpkin, soup, Sukkos, Sukkot, Thanksgiving

Minestrone – Italian Vegetable Soup

July 11, 2012 By dinnerinvenice 9 Comments

The word minestrone derives from the Latin verb ministrare, which means ‘to administer’.
Maybe because, as any Italian mother can witness, it is the most efficient way to administer lots of healthy vegetables to picky children, with few complaints!

In many households, minestrone is made at least weekly and (thanks to the fact that it tastes even better when reheated), served several times as a primo piatto (first course) with both dairy and meat meals. I usually serve it plain on the first day; on the second day, I reheat it with some leftover cooked rice, pasta or even spelt. If it’s cold outside, or I’m simply too busy for multiple courses, I just throw in some beans to transform this light soup into an earthy meal. At the end of the week I add a boiled potato and turn the leftovers into a creamy passato (blended soup) with my hand blender.

Just keep in mind, if you plan on stretching your soup over the course of a week, that you should skip tomatoes or it will spoil too quickly. In Italy we have countless regional and seasonal variations for this soup, depending on the local produce! Just to give you a few examples, the Genoese minestrone is flavored with pesto; my Tuscan grandmother liked to add rosemary, and the Lombard one preferred Arborio rice in it.

The only key rules are that all the ingredients should be very fresh and the oil high quality; the soup should be cooked very slowly, on low heat; and finally, the vegetables should be chopped very small, Israeli salad-style…. other than that, have some fun!

Ingredients (serves 8-10 as an appetizer, 6-8 as a main course)

vegetable stock, 1 1/2 quarts
2 whole cloves garlic (optional)
1 onion
2 carrots
6 leaves of kale or Swiss Chards, chopped
1 large slice of butternut squash or pumpkin
1/2 a small cabbage (1/4 if large)
2 celery stalks
2 small (or 1 large) zucchini
1 cup peas
OR asparagus tips, or green beans
1 small or medium potato (optional)
1 medium tomato, seeded (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
extra-virgin olive oil (I use a low-acidic, mild Ligurian or Tuscan)
fresh rosemary or parsley, if liked
(tip: if you rarely make it to the green market…. it does work even with frozen vegetables!)

Peel the carrots and potatoes with a vegetable peeler and wash and clean all the vegetables, discarding any outer leaves and inedible parts. On a chopping board, cut all the vegetables into regular dice max 1/2″ (except for the peas, obviously). In a large pot with a heavy base, heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the minced onion and the whole garlic cloves and cook until the onion is translucent. Discard the garlic (if using – I usually don’t), add the vegetables and little salt, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes on medium/low heat, making sure they don’t burn or change color. Cover the vegetables with the vegetable stock and cook, in a partially covered pot and on low heat, for about an hour or until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has absorbed all their flavor. If using asparagus tips, add them later, about 15 minutes from the end. If you are pressed for time, you can also cook minestrone in a pressure cooker (it should take less than 15 minutes). When ready, pour into individual bowls, drizzle with some more extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a touch of freshly ground black pepper. It also tastes great with some freshly grated parmigiano on top, if you are in the mood for cheese!.

Filed Under: Comfort food, First course, Light and Healthy, Non-Dairy, Quick/Easy, Soup, Traditional, Vegetarian Tagged With: cucina ebraica, cuisine, easy, food, healthy, Italian, Italian recipes, Jewish, light, parve, quick, soup, Vegetarian

Fennel Soup

March 18, 2012 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Fennel Soup (Parve)

We all overeat every once in a while, and end up feeling bloated or with a stomach ache: what a Jewish Italian mother would prescribe in such cases (backed up by Maimonides’ medical treatises) is a nice bowl of fennel soup. Fennel (Anise) is one of those ingredients that until the late 1800s were shunned by non-Jews in Italy and considered lowly and vulgar. By the time this delicious vegetable was accepted into general Italian cuisine, Jews had already discovered countless ways to prepare it, raw or cooked, as an appetizer or side.

Fennel soup is to indigestion what chicken soup is to a cold, and it’s also said to help with bloating, detoxify the liver and even increase lactation. Just as your Bubbe did with the chicken, we use all parts of the fennel: we eat the bulbs, we make tea with the leaves, and we use the seeds as a spice. Curious fact: fennel seeds have such a powerful digestive effect that in (non-kosher) Italian cooking they are often used to enhance the least digestible of meats (pork)!

In the Jewish Italian tradition we also add them to many different kinds of dishes, and of course cookies and biscottis – which acquire that special exotic flavor. I have mixed feelings about making biscottis more digestible, because my husband and kids already polish them off as they are and do not need any encouragement, but you should try at least once!

Back to the soup: it’s light, parve, gluten-free if you skip the toast, and literally takes only minutes to make. Here you go.

Fennel Soup (Parve)

Ingredients

2 fennel bulbs
1 or 2 garlic cloves, slightly crushed /span>
4 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
3 or 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
(optional) 8 slices toasted baguette or ciabatta bread

Directions

Serves 4

Clean the fennel, slicing them thin (I use a mandoline) and place them in a pot.

Cover them with water, drizzle with the oil, add the crushed garlic and half of the parsley.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat , salt, and allow to simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Discard the garlic, sprinkle with black pepper, and serve hot with toasted bread.

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Filed Under: First course, Gluten Free, Light/Diet, Soup, Special Diet Tagged With: cucina ebraica, gluten free, Italian recipe, kosher Italian, light, soup

Easy Passover Soup with Frittata (“Dadini in Brodo”)

March 18, 2012 By dinnerinvenice 1 Comment

Easy Passover Soup with Frittata (“Dadini in Brodo”) – (meat)

A great matzah-free option if the first Seder has left you feeling stuffed like a Passover turkey and you need a break! You can also serve this at the seder as an alternative to your matzah balls for gluten-intolerant guests.

Easy Passover Soup with Frittata (“Dadini in Brodo”) – (meat)

Ingredients

Serves 6
4 eggs
a tablespoon of chopped parsley
4 slices Hungarian salami, very finely chopped (optional)
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil or to taste
salt, and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg (if liked)
3 quarts (or to taste) chicken or beef broth

Directions

In a bowl stir together the eggs, the parsley, salt, pepper, the salami, and the nutmeg.

Heat some olive oil in a non-stick skillet, pour the mixture in, and once one side is cooked flip it over and cook the other side.

If you prefer and if the skillet is oven-proof, you can also cook the second side by broiling in the oven (if you are nervous about the flip!).

Let it cool down and cut it into small cubes that you will place into a bowl and cover with steaming hot chicken or beef broth.

Instead of making a thicker frittata and cutting it into cubes, some people like to prepare very thin ones (crepe-like), and slice them thinly to resemble fettuccini.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: First course, Gluten Free, Holiday Food, Jewish Italian Cuisine, Meat, Passover, Soup, Traditional Tagged With: cucina ebraica, cuisine, gluten free, Jewish holiday, kosher Italian, Matzah Free, Meat, Non- Gebrokts, Passover, Pesach, soup

Pappa col Pomodoro – Tuscan Bread & Tomato Soup

February 5, 2012 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Pappa col Pomodoro

We just came back from ten days in Italy, mostly spent in Venice hanging out with my mom and childhood friends. But my husband and kids had never been to Florence, and I decided to treat them to a couple of days in the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. The highlight of our stay was a lunch at our friends Alberto and Giordana’s apartment, with a breathtaking view of Fiesole and the Tuscan hills; followed by rides on the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica for our two kids! The food in Florence and in all of Tuscany is fantastic, simple and elegant, and justly famous. If you are not planning a trip any time soon, why not try this easy and delicious soup in your own kitchen? Pappa col Pomodoro is a perfect example of Italian “comfort food”, and of Tuscan peasant cooking. Bread soups were born of necessity: people could not afford to throw away stale bread, and devised ways to make it not only edible, but wonderfully tasty. Be warned that American-style soft sliced bread would just turn into a slimy and sticky mess: you will need artisanal bread with a firm, rough crust. The best types are Tuscan or Pugliese loaves. I live in Manhattan, and love Tribeca Oven.

For tons of authentic Tuscan recipes, and cooking classes in Tuscany (with vegetarian options), visit Giulia at http://en.julskitchen.com/

For kosher cooking classes in Florence, email my friend Chiara at Chiara105@gmail.com

Pappa col Pomodoro (Tuscan Bread & Tomato Soup) (Parve)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cold pressed extra-virgine olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 large can (12 oz.) peeled whole tomatoes (I like Italian tomatoes, San Marzano type)
½ medium loaf, or 1/3 large loaf of Italian-style bread, 2-day old
1 cup water or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of sugar
10 to 15 fresh basil leaves

Directions

Slice the bread. In a heavy pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the garlic.

After a couple of minutes discard the garlic, and add the can of tomatoes, breaking them with your hands into the pot.

Add salt, pepper, sugar and water, and stir with a wooden spoon.

Shred the bread into bite-sized chunks with your hands (if it’s too hard/dry cut it into cubes with a bread knife), and add them to the pot.

Do not stir too aggressively, because you don’t want the bread to melt into the water completely: the texture should be somewhat chunky.

You should stir gently using an upward motion, and not too long.

Cook on low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Shred the basil leaves and add them to the soup; drizzle with more olive oil (about 1 tablespoon per person), lightly toss, serve.

This soup tastes even better reheated: it will be so thick that you will be able to eat it with a fork. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Appetizer, Non-Dairy, Soup, Special Diet, Sustainable, Traditional, Vegetarian Tagged With: cucina ebraica, cuisine, healthy, Jewish holiday, kosher Italian, light, Non-Dairy, Pomodoro, soup, tomato, Venice

Kamut Soup with Pumpkin and Saffron

January 22, 2012 By dinnerinvenice 1 Comment

Kamut Soup with Pumpkin and Saffron (Parve)

Have you ever tried KAMUT? It’s a long grain with a brown cover – it looks similar to brown rice, but it’s related to wheat and has a velvety, nutty flavor. It’s richer in protein than wheat, and contains several vitamins and minerals. Perfect for a winter soup!

The other main ingredient of this “minestra” is saffron, the star ingredient in Italy’s favorite risotto Milanese, and in many festive Sephardic dishes. Saffron, one of the most highly prized spices since antiquity, and a native of the Southern Mediterranean, is now cultivated in many countries. However, some the best in the world is said to be produced in the Abruzzi region of Italy, a couple of hours east of Rome – a legend says that it was first smuggled here by a dominican monk in the 13th century, and the production has been thriving ever since. In order to maintain the intense aroma of their saffron, the locals uproot the bulbs yearly, and select them for size. The perfect soil and climate conditions do the rest, and every fall the flowers are harvested.

About 80,000 crocus flowers are needed to produce a meager pound of saffron – in case you wondered what makes it the most expensive spice in the world! To justify the extravagant expense, remember that saffron has been used as a medicinal botanical on many continents throughout history, and some recent research has demonstrated that one of its components shows promise as an anti-cancer agent.

Kamut Soup with Pumpkin and Saffron (Parve)

Ingredients

½ pound kamut, soaked overnight (or at least for 3 hours) and rinsed
1 quart vegetable stock
15 to 25 saffron stigms
1 small carrot
1 celery stick
1 cup cubed pumpkin or butternut squash
½ a medium onion
1 quart vegetable stock
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

Brew the saffron in a few spoonfuls of hot water.

Chop the onion, celery and carrot finely (we call this mix “soffritto”).

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook this vegetable mix in the oil for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the cubed pumpkin, a little salt, and cook for 3 or 4 more minutes, Add the kamut, cover with the vegetable stock, and bring to a boil;

Cover and allow to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Add the saffron and allow to cook for about 10-15 more minutes, or until the kamut is cooked “al dente”.

Drizzle with a little more olive oil, add a dash of pepper and some minced parsley, and serve.

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Filed Under: First course, Light/Diet, Non-Dairy, Soup, Special Diet, Vegetarian Tagged With: anti-oxidant food, cucina ebraica, cuisine, easy, healthy, Italian recipe, kosher Italian, light, Non-Dairy, soup, vegan

Jota – Saurkraut, Potato and Bean Soup

January 1, 2012 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Jota – Saurkraut, Potato and Bean Soup (Parve or Meat)

I know that most people might not immediately associate sauerkraut with Italy – but that’s only because they have never been to the North-Eastern regions! For example, sauerkrauts are actually the main ingredient in Trieste’s signature soup, the Jota (pronounced yota, from the Latin term for soup). Trieste is the largest Italian port city on the Adriatic and was for a long time the trade crossroads between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Western Europe. It also boasts a rich and fascinating Jewish history. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Jews fleeing from German lands settled here to make a living as moneylenders, bankers, and merchants. Even women practiced money-lending in Trieste, an unusual custom at the time. More Jews arrived in the following centuries from Spain and the Ottoman Empire, and finally in the late 18th century from Corfu. Trieste in general, and Jewish Trieste in particular, was cosmopolitan and cultured, and the local dishes give us a little taste of such flair . James Joyce, who lived in Trieste for 16 years and at one point fell in love with his Jewish Triestine student Amalia Popper, would probably agree.

Jota – Saurkraut, Potato and Bean Soup (Parve or Meat)

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried beans (“lamon” or “borlotti” variety, soaked overnight)
2 large russet potatoes
1/2 lb. fresh sauerkraut, or high quality canned sauerkraut (rinsed)
1 garlic clove, mashed
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 bay leaf
a pinch of cumin powder
(optional) some beef sausage
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Soak the beans overnight, drain and cook in a large pot of water for a couple of hours until tender. Add the sausage if using.

Add the cubed potatoes (Some people cook them separate. Some people also mash 1/3 of the beans.).

Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and cumin and cook until the garlic is golden.

Add the sauerkraut and cook for 10 more minutes.

Discard the garlic clove, add the bay leaf and cover with little water; bring to a simmer.

When the cubed potatoes are soft, combine the sourkrout soup with the potato and bean soup, and allow to simmer for about 45 more minutes, stirring often.

Top individual servings with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly ground pepper, plus more salt if needed (but the sourkrout tend to be salty).

*** on Parve versus Meat: I like it with a little beef or beef sausage in it, but many people I know prefer the parve version because it’s more digestible: it’s really a matter of personal preference.

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Filed Under: Comfort food, First course, Jewish Italian Cuisine, Meat, Shabbat, Soup, Traditional Tagged With: cucina ebraica, kosher Italian, Meat, parve, Shabbat, soup

Chestnut and Spelt Soup

November 1, 2011 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Chestnut and Spelt Soup (Parve)

After last Saturday’s early snowfall, it’s time to put our summer clothes in storage and welcome the cold season (at least in New York)! Don’t be sad – there are plenty of fun things about fall and winter. One example: hearty soups like this one, which incorporates two ingredients with a distinguished history, staple foods for thousands of years in some areas of Europe.

Chestnut and Spelt Soup (Parve)

Ingredients

2/3 pound dried chestnuts
1 cup Spelt
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Serves 6-8

Wash the spelt well, place it in a pot, cover with water and soak overnight.

The next day, boil the chestnuts in salted water with the bay leaf for 40 minutes.

In a second pot heat 1 tablespoon oilive oil, add the minced onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes; add the chestnuts with their water and the spelt (rinsed and drained well), and about 1 qt or more salted water.

Simmer for about one hour, covered, until the spelt is cooked.

Adjust the salt, sprinkle with pepper, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot with toasted bread slices. You can also add a little rosemary.

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Filed Under: Appetizer, Comfort food, First course, Light and Healthy, Light/Diet, Soup, Special Diet, Sustainable, Vegetarian Tagged With: appetizer, cucina ebraica, cuisine, healthy, Italian recipe, kosher Italian, light, soup

Tagliatelle with Pumpkin and Lentils

September 22, 2011 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Tagliatelle with Pumpkin and Lentils

For Rosh HaShana I usually serve a fresh pasta soup in chicken broth before the main course: it’s easy to make (make or buy pasta; make chicken stock; cook the pasta and serve with the broth). But I wanted to offer something different for those of you who do not have a seder before the meal, and prefer a more filling first course. As a bonus, this pasta recipe includes pumpkin, one of the holiday symbols in some Italian Jewish communities, including Venice (see my post on “Zucca Barucca” above).

Tagliatelle with Pumpkin and Lentils

Ingredients

(serves 4)
3/4 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle (Italian wide egg noodles)
1 cup pumpkin or butternut squash (diced into small cubes)
2 cups boiled lentils (or you can use a can)
1 small zucchini
fresh sage
bay leaves
1 small onion, minced very fine
1 sprig rosemary
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion, 2 sage leaves and 1 bay leaf.

After a couple of minutes dd the diced zucchini, the drained lentils and the cubed pumpkin.

Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add a ladleful of hot water to the vegetables, salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes or more, until soft but not mushy.

Cook the tagliatelle in a large pot of salted boiling water.

While the pasta is cooking, transfer the vegetables into a bowl and put the rosemary sprig in the hot skillet where you cooked the vegetables, roasting it for a couple of minutes in the oil left over. Discard the rosemary and toast the breadcrumbs for 2-3 minutes in the same skillet.

Drain the pasta, dress it with the vegetable sauce and the toasted bread crumbs, and serve.

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Filed Under: Comfort food, First course, Jewish Italian Cuisine, Pasta and Rice, Quick/Easy, Rosh Hashana, Side Dish, Soup Tagged With: cucina ebraica, cuisine, Jewish holiday, kosher Italian, pumpkin, Rosh hashanah, soup, symbolic, vegetables, Venice

Chestnut and Leek Soup

March 24, 2011 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Chestnut and Leek Soup

Chestnuts were central to the traditional Italian diet, especially in the mountains and among the poor. This simple soup is extremely satisfying when it’s cold outside, especially if you accompany it with a nice glass of a dry, fruity white wine. For an ever richer soup, you can substitute half the vegetable stock with milk.

Chestnut and Leek Soup

Ingredients

(serves 4)
2 leeks
1/3 pound fresh chestnuts (or 1 cup
cooked and peeled chestnuts)
½ pound potatoes
4 tablespoons butter, or olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
1 quart vegetable stock
salt and pepper

Directions

Blanch the chestnuts for about 15 minutes and peel them (you can also use pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts, but you will lose some flavor).

Clean the leeks, discarding their outer leaves and green parts, and slice them thinly.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small dice. In a skillet, heat the butter or oil, and saute’ the leeks for 5 minutes;

add the chestnuts and potatoes, salt, and add the wine.

Allow it to evaporate, then add the stock, and bring to a boil; lower the heat, and cook for 45

minutes to one hour, or until the chestnuts and potatoes are fully cooked.

Puree’ the soup with an immersion blender or your food processor. Add more salt and pepper if liked, and serve hot.

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Filed Under: First course, Gluten Free, Quick/Easy, Soup, Vegetarian Tagged With: chestnuts, cucina ebraica, gluten free, Italian, Jewish Italian Cuisine1, kosher, Non-Dairy, parve, potatoes, quick/easy, soup

Potato and Leek Soup

March 1, 2011 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients

(serves 4)
2 medium leeks
2 celery sticks
3 medium potatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoon freshly minced parsley
4 or 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
(if making a dairy meal, you can add 2 tablespoons of freshly grated parmigiano cheese)

Directions

Clean the leeks, discarding the harder green parts (you can use them to make a vegetable stock, with carrots, celery and onions).

Wash the celery,, eliminating any fibrous parts.

Slice both the leeks and celery.

Peel and dice the potatoes. Heat 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy or non-stick pot, and add the leeks.

Cook for 3 minutes, lowering the heat and adding a tablespoon of water if needed to prevent them from burning.

Add the celery and potatoes, season with salt, and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Add the hot vegetable stock and bring to a boil.

Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Process with a hand mixer till creamy. Before serving, add the parsley, sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with a little more olive oil.

In the context of a dairy meal, you can also add about 1/2 tablespoon per person of freshly grated parmigiano cheese.

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Filed Under: Comfort food, First course, Quick/Easy, Soup, Vegetarian Tagged With: cucina ebraica, Jewish Italian Cuisine1, kosher Italian, leek, Non-Dairy, parve, potato, quick/easy, soup

Fava Bean Soup with Peas and Arugola

February 28, 2011 By dinnerinvenice Leave a Comment

Fava Bean Soup with Peas and Arugola

Fava beans , also known as known broad beans, have been part of the human diet from time immemorial. They were probably one of the staples in ancient Israel, since they are mentioned more than once in the Mishnah. Archaeologists even found charred samples in Israel near Nazareth, dating back to 4900 BCE! They were also cultivated in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and remained for a long time the only bean available in Europe – until other types were brought from the Americas in the 1500’s.
In Central and Southern Italy, fava beans announce the warm season, and people wait excitedly for their arrival at the local markets. When purchased fresh, the beans need to be removed from their pods, blanched, and then popped out of their skins, which is something I look forward to doing while watching the latest Mad Men episode. If you are not so patient, you can skip all these steps by buying them frozen. I never ate fava beans at home in Venice, they were always a treat that I enjoyed when visiting my grandmother in Tuscany: she gave them to me right out of the shell and dipped in olive oil, accompanied by a slice of fresh Pecorino cheese – a match made in heaven! In the winter, Nonna would also make a puree from dried fava beans with escarole, which she served with simple Tuscan bread.

Fava Bean Soup with Peas and Arugola

Ingredients

(serves 4)
12 oz peas (fresh or frozen)
12 oz fava beans (fresh or frozen)
1 packed cup arugola
1 qt vegetable stock
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 red onions
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mince one onion.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pot and cook the onion in it for 2 minutes.

Add the peas and fava beans and the chopped arugola.

Cook for 2 more minutes, add the stock and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper.

Cut the second onion into thin slices and sauté' them in the remaining oil until slightly crunchy. Serve the soup hot, drizzle with more oil to taste, and decorate with the sautéed onion and some fresh arugola.

https://dinnerinvenice.com/2011/02/28/fava-bean-soup-with-peas-and-arugola/

Filed Under: First course, Non-Dairy, Soup Tagged With: arugola, Bean, cucina ebraica, fava bean, First course, Jewish Italian Cuisine1, kosher Italian, Non-Dairy, peas, quick/easy, soup

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