Broccoli rabe and cannellini bean soup

Broccoli rabe, known in Italy as Cima di Rapa (top of the turnip), is a green cruciferous vegetable known for its slightly bitter taste and enormous health benefits. This is a quick, simple soup, very satisfying particularly in winter.

According to Martha Stewart, broccoli rabe is “a rich source of glucosinolates, which your body converts to cancer-fighting sulforophanes and indoles.” Stewart adds, “a 3 1/2-ounce serving of broccoli rabe provides more than half your daily requirement of antioxidant-rich vitamins A and C.” Hard to beat – tasty and healthy to boot!

A bit of an acquired taste, most people love the flavor of rabe. In this soup, the rabe is combined with cannellini beans to make a hearty, healthy meal.

Starting with a soffritto (base) of sautéed sweet red pepper, onion, and garlic, we will make a hearty soup that serves as a complete meal. Although water based, simmering the beans will create a satisfying broth. Buon appettito!

Ingredients

4 TBS extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. hot red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

Freshly ground black pepper

1 medium sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 bunch broccoli rabe (1 – 1 ½ lbs), washed and chopped into 1” segments

2 15 oz or 1 28 oz can cannellini beans, drained

3 cups water

Salt to taste

Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese as topping to serve

Method

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the hot red pepper flakes, turmeric, black pepper, stir well.

Add the chopped red peppers and onion, sauté until reduced – 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, stir well.

Add chopped broccoli rabe to pan and cover. Cook down, stirring occasionally until rabe begins to soften.

Add cannellini beans and water, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or more until broth thickens. Add salt to taste, but the salt in the canned beans is typically enough.

Serve topped with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, fresh slices of Italian bread, and a green salad.  A complete meal!

Thick Cannillini, Tomato, and Pasta Soup Siciliano

This soup has Sicilian roots and celebrates the sun-blasted tastes of this southern Mediterranean island. Sicily’s Tunisian invaders are acknowledged with turmeric, and the northern city of Parma is paid homage with the double use of its famous cheese.

The key to this recipe is a double thickening. First, sauté and thicken the red pepper/onion base (soffritto). Then, cook down the added tomatoes until the mixture is very reduced and thickened.  Be patient, cook, and stir.

Then finish the soup with convenient canned beans, pasta, and a wedge of parmigiano rind. Serve with evoo and grated parmigiano - the result is silky smooth and satisfying.

Ingredients
2-3 Tbs. evoo
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp hot red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ medium onion chopped
½ fresh red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 plum tomato diced
1 28 oz. can chef’s cut tomatoes (or whole plum tomatoes crushed by hand)
1 28 oz. can water (after you’ve emptied the tomatoes – this washes out the remaining juices)
1 28 oz can cannellini beans, drained
1 parmigiano reggiano rind, 2-3”
½ cup red wine 
6 oz. (3/4 cup) small whole wheat pasta
2 garlic cloves chopped fine
Evoo to drizzle
Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano to taste

Method
Heat the evoo in a deep cast iron soup pot. Add turmeric, red pepper flakes, and black pepper… stir to mix. Add onion and red pepper – sauté and stir to reduce onion/pepper mixture. Add bay leaves and plum tomato, stir well, and continue sautéing.

When mixture is reduced and thickened, add canned tomatoes. Increase heat and boil away excess liquid, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer until tomato sauce has thickened and oil has risen to surface. The key to this recipe is to seriously thicken and reduce the tomato mixture. Take your time.

Add water, red wine, beans, and parmigiano rind. Bring to a boil and cook until ingredients are thoroughly heated, flavors mingled, and mixture thickened. Add pasta and cook till al dente – 8-10 minutes depending on pasta.

Add chopped garlic, stir, and cook for another minute.

Serve hot, topped with a drizzle of evoo and freshly grated parmigiano, with rustic bread and a nice glass of Chianti. Buon appetito!

Puree of Spinach and Lentil Soup

This is a hearty one-pot soup with Italian roots. Lentils, spinach, and carrot lend an earthy, filling taste with excellent nutrition. The soup may be served hot or chilled – either way it is outstanding. The soup is pureed, and an old fashioned kitchen food processor will do the trick. But that is a bit of trouble, so I would recommend an immersion blender.  Since obtaining our stick blender, I have made this soup much more frequently – it is so easy!

Ingredients

3 Tbs. EVOO

¼ tsp. hot red pepper flakes

½ red bell pepper seeded and chopped

1 medium yellow onion chopped

1 large carrot chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

6 cups water

1 ½ cups lentils, picked over for stones

8-10 oz. fresh spinach, washed and drained

Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

1 cup cottage cheese or plain yogurt

3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives

Method

Heat olive oil in a large pot, preferably cast iron. Add hot pepper flakes, red pepper, onion, and carrot. Saute until vegetable mixture is softened. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.

Add water and bring to boil. Add lentils and reduce to a slow boil. Cook lentils, covered, until lentils are tender, 20-30 minutes. Add spinach and cook, covered, another 15 minutes.

Now the soup must be blended. If you are using an external kitchen food processor, transfer the soup in batches and blend until smooth. Return to pot when done. If using stick blender, blend in the pot until smooth (this is the preferred method).

Add cottage cheese or plain yogurt. Stir well until completely blended.

Serve topped with chopped chives, and on the side slices of rustic bread. A hearty red wine is the topper. This is a meal!  Enjoy.

Sicilian Peppery Tomato Soup with Chickpeas

For those who like a thick, satisfying soup, here’s a very easy one.  It has no meat and yet is very hearty and satisfying.  Garbanzo beans (chick peas) are a good source of fiber and protein.  The tomatoes add a healthy dose of lycopene, anti-oxidants, and just plain taste good.

The rosemary adds a pungent flair redolent of sun-drenched Sicily.

The soup is intended to be very thick. Spend some time and cook it down – you will be rewarded by a mouth-satisfying, belly-filling meal.

Intended to be peppery, you can cut back on the hot red pepper flakes if you prefer milder fare.


Enjoy! 


Sicilian Peppery Chickpea Soup with Tomatoes
(Minestra di Ceci e Pomodoro alla Siciliana)


Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil (EVOO)
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
Pinch of turmeric
Freshly ground black red pepper to taste
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium red pepper, seeded and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
28 oz can chef’s cut (diced) tomatoes with liquid
1/2 tsp fresh finely chopped rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried crushed
Pinch of baking soda
2 cans 15.5 oz chickpeas, drained
2 cups water
Salt to taste
Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano


Method

In a large soup pot, heat oil to medium-low, add turmeric, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir and heat, then add onions, red pepper, and sauté, stirring frequently.  Cook onion-pepper mixture until reduced, 5-8 minutes.

Add garlic, cook and stir for an additional minute.

Add tomatoes with their liquid.  Cook tomato-onion mixture uncovered, stirring frequently, until a good part of the liquid evaporates and mixture thickens (about 10-15 minutes). Add the baking soda and stir well (this reduces acidity).

Add the chopped rosemary and stir well.

Note:  This is a very thick soup. Cook onions-peppers and then tomatoes even longer than you’d normally think.  The key to this soup is to thicken and reduce the base.  You are cooking over medium heat, hence need to stir frequently to avoid sticking or scorching. A screen over the pot will eliminate splatter.

Pour in the chickpeas and water. Bring to boil, stirring.  Reduce to slow, steady, simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes

Add salt and pepper to taste. Uncover and simmer to thicken if necessary.

Top each bowl with a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese and serve with garlic toast and a side of greens or salad. 

Buon appetito!

Portuguese Kale Soup (Caldo Verde)

Caldo verde (green soup) is a traditional Portuguese soup based on olive oil, potatoes and kale.  The many variations may contain onions, beans, chorizo (sausage) and other ingredients, but this recipe is the simple version that you might imagine fishermen and farmers enjoying to economically sustain their labors.  It is unexpected that the base is water rather than stock, but the resulting soup is thick and satisfying. 

Proper preparation requires some time to cook down the potatoes, creating a surprisingly creamy broth.  But rest assured, while the total time can approach two hours, active preparation time is 30 minutes or less.

The key to this dish is to slice the potatoes thinly so that they cook thoroughly and break down more quickly.  In addition, the green vegetable (most commonly kale, but could also be collard greens or cabbage) must be sliced very thin.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to roll up several kale leaves tightly like a cigar, then slice thinly crosswise.  You may include the tender portion of the stems, but discard the tougher lower portions.  Total cooking time is gauged to ensure that the stem portions are completely cooked and tender. 

Finally, olive oil is a major taste ingredient so a fruity, delicious extra virgin variety is highly desirable.

When served, it is customary to dip thick slices of fresh, whole grain bread into the soup, leaving the remaining broth a scrumptious, thick mixture of kale, olive oil, and potatoes. 

This is a very satisfying dish that can serve as a hearty appetizer or an entire meal.  It is traditionally accompanied by a robust red wine.

2 ½ lbs. potatoes (3-4 medium), peeled and sliced thin

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 cups water

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

¼ tsp. hot red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

1 lb. (one bunch) of kale, washed and sliced thin, tough stems discarded

Put potato slices, oil, and water into a large soup pot, bring to boil. Stir to avoid sticking. Reduce heat to low boil, add garlic, rosemary, red pepper, black pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently with a wire whisk to break up potatoes, about 30-45 minutes. Liquid will become thick as potatoes dissolve.

Prepare kale. Wash and drain. Stack several leaves at a time, rolling into a tight “cigar”, then slice thinly crosswise to where stems become tough. Discard tough stems. Place kale into soup, stir, cover, and continue cooking until stem portions are tender.

Serve with fresh green salad, hard crust bread, and a robust, dry red wine.  Enjoy!