Soups - Gennaro Slow Cook Italian(2015)

Gennaro Slow Cook Italian (2015)

Soups

Zuppa di piselli secchi con lattuga

Minestra di verdure e riso

Minestra di ceci

Brodo di carne

Brodo di pollo

Brodo di pollo con polpettine di pollo

Brodo ’e purpo

Zuppa di cipolle con fontina

Zuppa di borlotti sul pane

Zuppa di orzo e cavolo nero

Zuppa di barbabietole e sedano rapa

Brodo di verdure

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For me, soup is the ultimate comfort food. There is nothing so warming as returning home on cold winter evenings to a steaming bowl of homemade soup. Or at the weekend, after a walk in the woods, knowing you have a welcoming pot of soup waiting for you. You can make soup out of anything you like and it is an excellent way of using up leftovers. It can be made in advance and heated up when required, or made in large quantities and frozen in batches to be enjoyed when you have less time to cook. It is one of the simplest of foods, but always one of the most satisfying and pleasurable.

In Italy, soup - whether delicate or hearty - is popular and is sometimes served as a primo (first course) in place of pasta or risotto. Lunches in Italy are often substantial, so in the evening a lighter meal is preferred, and this is often just a broth made from homemade vegetable, chicken or beef stock with the addition of pastina (small pasta shapes).

I love making meat stock or broth: all the ingredients go into one large pot and cook slowly until the meat is tender; the resulting stock can be served as a soup or used as the basis for another soup or stew. The tender meat is ready to eat as a main course, or can be made into other dishes such as salads or meatballs. It’s a great way to make the most of economical cuts of meat.

My favourite soups have always been hearty and substantial; beans, pulses and thickly sliced vegetables left gently bubbling on the stove, served with a slice of toasted country bread, a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan - heaven on a plate!

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Zuppa di piselli secchi con lattuga

Split pea soup with lettuce

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This lovely, old-fashioned soup dates from the time before frozen peas were available, and Italian housewives kept dried split peas to use when fresh peas were not in season. When cooked, their texture is quite dense, so to balance this I have kept the potatoes and pancetta in chunky pieces rather than blending the soup. However, if you prefer, you can blend it before you add the milk and egg yolk mixture at the end. The addition of lettuce gives the soup a pleasant contrasting freshness. Split peas don’t normally need pre-soaking, but check the packet instructions.

Serves 4

300g/10½oz/1½ cups dried split peas

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

50g/1¾oz/4 tbsp butter

1 small onion, sliced

1 celery heart, sliced

85g/3oz pancetta, cubed

2 potatoes, cut into chunks 1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups hot vegetable

broth

500ml/18fl oz/2cups hot water

250g/9oz lettuce

225ml/8fl oz/scant 1 cup milk

2 egg yolks, beaten

grated Parmesan, to serve

Rinse the split peas in cold water, discarding any small stones or other impurities; set aside.

Heat the olive oil and half of the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and pancetta and sweat for 5 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the potatoes and split peas, add the broth and water, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 1½ hours, stirring from time to time to prevent the peas from sticking.

About 15 minutes before the end of cooking time, put the lettuce leaves in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 6 minutes. Drain, squeezing out excess water, and leave to cool, then slice thinly lengthways. Set aside.

Melt the remaining butter and transfer to a bowl with the milk and egg yolks, whisking well. Remove the pea soup from the heat, stir in the milk mixture and serve sprinkled with the sliced lettuce and Parmesan.

Minestra di verdure e riso

Vegetable soup with rice

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This is a lighter version of the classic minestrone vegetable soup, made with spring vegetables and rice instead of the usual pasta.

Serves 4

200g/7oz Swiss chard

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

60g/2¼oz pancetta, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, left whole

1 onion, sliced

1 celery stalk with leaves, sliced

1 carrot, cut into chunks

1 potato, cut into chunks

1 courgette (zucchini), cut into chunks

8 cherry tomatoes

100g/3½oz/⅔ cup fresh broad (fava) beans

a handful of basil leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 litres/3½ pints/2 quarts hot vegetable broth

100g/3½oz/½ cup arborio rice

grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Separate the white stalks of the Swiss chard from the green leaves; roughly chop the stalks and leaves and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the pancetta, garlic, onion, celery and carrot and sweat on a medium heat for 4 minutes. Add the potato, courgette, tomatoes, chard stalks, broad beans, basil, salt and pepper, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add the broth, increase the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover with the lid and cook for 50 minutes. Add the chard leaves and rice and continue to cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the rice is al dente. If you need a little more liquid during cooking or when you add the rice, add more hot stock (or hot water).

Remove from the heat, taste for seasoning and serve in individual bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some grated Parmesan if desired.

Minestra di ceci

Chickpea soup

If you like chickpeas, you’ll love this rustic soup, flavoured with pork rind (you may need to ask for this in advance from your butcher or supermarket); you can remove the rind before serving if you prefer. Put all the ingredients in a large pot and leave it to bubble gently on the stove, just like farmers’ wives used to do in rural parts of Italy; when the family came home, there was always a warm bowl of soup ready and waiting. Remember to soak the chickpeas overnight the day before you make the soup.

Serves 4

500g/1lb 2oz/2½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight

500g/1lb 2oz pork rind, sliced into 12 x 3cm/4½ x 1-inch strips

2 onions, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, left whole

4 large potatoes, peeled and left whole

1 tsp marjoram

10 basil leaves

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

freshly ground black pepper

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put them in a large saucepan together with all the remaining ingredients and 1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups water. Bring to the boil, partially cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 3-4 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender (the potatoes will break up and make the soup thicker). Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Brodo di carne

Beef broth

When I make brodo di carne I always choose beef brisket, an inexpensive boneless cut from the breast of the animal. Brisket is one of the toughest cuts of beef and is perfect for slow cooking, gradually becoming tender and releasing its flavour. This is one of my favourite comfort foods, especially in cold weather. I like to cook some tortellini in the broth for a first course and then serve the boiled beef and vegetables as a main; or use the beef to make a salad or meatballs. The beef broth can be made a couple of days in advance and kept in the fridge, leaving the meat and vegetables in the liquid. The beef broth can also be used as stock for soups and stews, and can be frozen.

Serves 4

1kg/2lb 4oz beef brisket

1 large onion

2 large carrots

2 celery stalks with leaves

3 turnips

3 bay leaves

6 black peppercorns

1 tsp salt

Put the meat in a large saucepan and add 3 litres/5¼ pints/3 quarts cold water, making sure the meat is covered - if necessary, add more water. Bring to the boil. You will notice scum appearing on the surface; remove this with a slotted spoon.

Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 3 hours.

Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan and set aside. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve. To serve as a soup, pour the broth back into the pan and reheat, cooking some tortellini or small pasta shapes in the broth if you like. Slice the meat and cut the vegetables into chunks to serve after the broth.

Brodo di pollo

Chicken broth

For the best chicken broth, ask your butcher for a boiling chicken; in Italy this is called gallina, an older hen who has stopped laying eggs and is best used for making broth or stock. Otherwise, a normal roasting chicken will suffice. Chicken stock is used in many recipes, so it is worth making lots: you can freeze whatever you don’t use, or even make a double quantity and freeze in batches. You can serve this as a light broth or a more substantial soup. Alternatively, this recipe makes a lovely two-course meal: you can have the broth with some pastina (small pasta shapes) or tortellini and then enjoy the chicken as a main course with the carrots and onion and some extra vegetables. The chicken can be eaten hot or cold; try it in a salad.

Serves 4-6

1.5kg/3lb 5oz chicken

2 carrots

1 large onion

2 celery stalks with leaves

a handful of parsley

1 tsp sea salt

4 black peppercorns

Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and add 3 litres/5¼ pints/3 quarts cold water, making sure the chicken is covered - if necessary add more water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 2 hours.

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan and set aside. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve for a clear broth. Taste for seasoning and add a little more salt if necessary. To serve as a soup, pour the broth back into the pan and reheat, cooking some tortellini or small pasta shapes in the broth if you like. For a more substantial soup, add chopped cooked vegetables, shredded chicken and some pasta.

Brodo di pollo con polpettine di pollo

Chicken broth with chicken dumplings

This hearty soup is a delicious one-course meal - comfort food at its best. It’s based on chicken broth; the cooked chicken is made into dumplings, which are then simmered in the broth.

Serves 4-6

chicken and broth from chicken broth recipe

100g/3½oz country bread with crusts removed, very finely chopped

100g/3½oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve

1 tbsp chives, finely snipped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

Remove the chicken skin and take all the flesh off the bones, breaking the flesh into pieces. Put the chicken in a food processor and whizz until minced (ground). Alternatively, chop it very finely with a sharp knife.

In a bowl, combine the chicken, bread, Parmesan, chives, salt and pepper to taste, and the eggs. Shape into balls about the size of walnuts and set aside.

Strain the broth into a large saucepan, bring to the boil, add the chicken dumplings and simmer on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and serve the broth in bowls with about four or five dumplings per person; sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan and black pepper if desired.

Brodo ’e purpo

Octopus broth

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This dish was once typical of street food in Naples, and I have given its name in Neapolitan dialect. It is still eaten as street food but is not as common as it used to be. It is considered to be a winter dish, served with lots of black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, and often used as a cold remedy. You can enjoy the broth as a starter and serve the octopus as a main course salad. You will need to order the octopus from your fishmonger.

Serves 4

1 whole octopus, weighing about 1.2kg/2lb 10oz

1 tsp salt

4 bay leaves

15 black peppercorns

freshly ground black pepper, to serve

freshly squeezed lemon juice, to serve (optional)

Rinse the octopus under cold running water and set aside.

Put 1.5 litres/2½ pints/1½ quarts water, the salt, bay leaves and peppercorns into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Hold the octopus by its head and dip it into the hot water several times - this is done to curl the tentacles. Put the octopus in the boiling water, cover with a lid and simmer on a medium-low heat for about 1¼ hours, until tender.

Carefully remove the octopus and set aside on a plate, together with a little of the broth; use to make Octopus salad. Serve the broth in cups or bowls with lots of freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of lemon juice, if desired.

Zuppa di cipolle con fontina

Onion soup with fontina cheese

A Tuscan version of onion soup, called carabaccia, which dates back to ancient times, includes cinnamon, almonds and basil. I have kept my onion soup simple, and to give it that extra Italian flavour I have used fontina cheese for the topping. The inclusion of white wine, and the slow cooking on a gentle heat, really brings out the taste of the onions. Easy to make, this nutritious and flavoursome soup is a welcome winter warmer.

Serves 4

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs of thyme

50g/1¾oz/4 tbsp butter

1.3kg/3lb onions, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, left whole

30g/1oz/3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups beef broth

400ml/14fl oz/1⅔ cups dry white wine

salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the topping

4 slices of ciabatta bread

150g/5½oz fontina cheese, finely chopped

Tie the herbs together and set aside.

Heat the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat, add the onions, garlic and tied herbs and sweat for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, whisking well to prevent lumps, then pour in the broth and wine. Add a pinch of salt and cook on a low heat, partially covered, for about 1¼ hours.

Preheat your grill (broiler) to hot. Remove the soup pan from the heat and discard the herbs and garlic. Divide the soup among four heatproof bowls, place a slice of ciabatta on top of each and sprinkle with the fontina.

Put the bowls of soup under the grill for 2 minutes, until the cheese melts and turns golden. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve at once.

Zuppa di borlotti sul pane

Borlotti bean and vegetable soup served on bread

Poor families traditionally served bean soup on bread to add bulk to the family meal. Sometimes the soup was poured into the empty cavity of bread rolls - the scooped-out bread being used for breadcrumbs or in other dishes. This is a nutritious recipe packed with vegetables, and the red onion added at the end gives the soup crunch. If you don’t have borlotti beans, you can use cannellini.

Serves 4

250g/9oz/1¼ cups dried borlotti beans, soaked in water overnight

6 sage leaves

2 garlic cloves, left whole

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

400g/14oz ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

140g/5oz chicory, roughly chopped

2 small leeks, sliced

100g/3½oz savoy cabbage, shredded

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.2 litres/2 pints/5 cups hot water

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

4 slices of country bread, toasted

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Drain the beans, rinse and put them in a large saucepan. Add the sage, garlic and enough water to cover the beans. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour, or until the beans are tender and cooked (check the packet instructions). Drain the beans and discard the garlic. Mash a quarter of the beans and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat, add the carrots, celery and tomatoes and sweat for a couple of minutes. Add the chicory, leeks and cabbage, season, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Add the hot water and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. Add the whole beans, mashed beans and parsley and continue to cook gently for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning. Put a slice of toasted bread in each of four bowls and pour over the bean soup. Top with a few slices of red onion, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Zuppa di orzo e cavolo nero

Pearl barley and cavolo nero soup

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I love pearl barley and often use it in soups or as a substitute for rice. Cavolo nero is a loose-leafed Tuscan cabbage with very dark green, almost black, leaves - hence its Italian name, which translates as ‘black cabbage’. As well as being tasty, both pearl barley and cavolo nero are very nutritious, and this easy-to-prepare soup is a complete meal in itself. Both ingredients can be found in good supermarkets.

Serves 4

150g/5½oz pearl barley

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

1 onion, finely chopped

400g/14oz cavolo nero, roughly chopped

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

115g/4oz tomatoes, chopped

1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups vegetable broth

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 slices of country bread, toasted, to serve (optional)

grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Rinse the barley and put it in a saucepan; add cold water to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour, until the barley is cooked. Drain well and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and sweat for 5 minutes. Stir in the cavolo nero, potato and tomatoes. Add the cooked barley and the broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 40 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and serve with toasted country bread and grated Parmesan if desired.

Zuppa di barbabietole e sedano rapa

Beetroot and celeriac soup

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These are two of my wife Liz’s favourite vegetables, so she decided to combine them while testing recipes for this book. Wow, what a taste! And so simple to make; just put all the vegetables in a pot and leave to slow cook until tender, whizz and serve. Can be enjoyed at any time, but it’s an elegant soup for a dinner party.

Serves 4

500g/1lb 2oz celeriac (celery root), peeled and cut into large chunks

150g/5½oz beetroot (beets), peeled and cut into large chunks

1 large potato, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 celery stalk with leaves, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

1.3 litres/2¼ pints/5½ cups vegetable broth

salt and freshly ground black pepper

a handful of parsley, finely chopped

natural yogurt, to serve (optional)

Put all the vegetables in a large saucepan together with the broth, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hour, until tender.

Remove from the heat and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls, sprinkled with parsley and a swirl of yogurt if desired.

Brodo di verdure

Vegetable broth

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Vegetable broth or stock is at the base of many traditional Italian dishes - risotto, soups and stews - or it can simply be served as a soup. Ready-made stock can be very good, but nothing beats the fresh flavour of your own homemade broth, made with the freshest of vegetables. It is worth making a double quantity and freezing in batches. Being the lightest of all broths, it is popular for weaning babies or if you are feeling fragile, possibly with the addition of some tortellini or pastina (small pasta shapes). Or you can simply drink it as it is!

Serves 4

1 onion, peeled

1 courgette (zucchini)

1 carrot

1 celery stalk with leaves

1 leek

1 potato, peeled

2 cherry tomatoes

a handful of parsley, including stalks

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan, add 1.5 litres/2½ pints/1½ quarts water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1¼ hours. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

Remove from the heat and strain the broth through a fine sieve, pressing down well on the vegetables with the back of a spoon. Serve hot, or reheat, adding some small pasta shapes to cook in the broth if you like.