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Vellutata di Sedano Rapa – Cream of Celery Root Soup
It’s cold, and Italy’s hearty soups are on tables everywhere now. But Italy’s culinary tradition boasts a wealth of soups that run the gamut from the rustic tradition of cucina povera to the refined alta cucina. This soup is a light, delicately flavored creamy classic, a pitch perfect overture to a sumptuous standing rib roast or a succulent baked ham.
Like leeks, the humble celery root has been known to man for millennia. The ancient Greeks called it selinon, Read the remainder of this entry »
Screpelle ‘mbusse – Crepes in broth
Abruzzesi have a predilection for crepes. They appeared in our region around 1798, during the French occupation, and have remained part of our cuisine ever since. Crepes, called screpelle or scripelle, turn up in scrumptious timballi (timbales), as wrappers (instead of pasta) in cannelloni, and folded around dessert mousses and souffles.
Food and Memories of Abruzzo by Anna Teresa Callen
Some things just say Abruzzo, and this is one of them – light crespelle, filled with a combination of Parmigiano and Pecorino cheeses, rolled and set in a bowl of chicken broth. There are a lot of happy accidents in the world of food and beverages. There’s puff pastry where the chef forgot the butter and added it at the last moment, and voila, my favorite pastry was born. Or the Negroni sbagliato born of barman Mirko Stocchetto’s mixing error – the Milanese barman added Prosecco instead of gin while building his patron’s Negroni. Thank the God of Drink for that one. Read the remainder of this entry »
I Opened the Window and in Flew Enza
Or how to feed a fever
I had a little bird, and its name was Enza
I opened the window, and in-flew-enza.
Children’s skip rope rhyme, circa 1918
Flu season is upon us. No doubt about it. Just look at the CDC Weekly Influenza Report, your workplace or your kid’s classroom and you’ll be convinced. While nowhere near as severe as the great Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919, which killed an estimated 20 to 40 million people worldwide, this year’s flu is nothing to sneeze at, so to speak.
This is a bit like the “Invalid Cookery” chapter out of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, but where in the mid-nineteenth century the esteemed Isabella Beeton recommended beef tea, today’s common wisdom dictates soups based on brodo di pollo – chicken broth. I grew up hearing that chicken soup was good for what ailed you, and science has proven it true. So get a head start on the flu season and stock your freezer with several quarts of brodo di pollo.
A word about chicken broth: I’ll say unequivocally that homemade is best. You can control the flavor, and you know exactly what it contains. If you don’t have a personal favorite of your own, click here for mine. Of the many commercial brands available Stock Options* is now my favorite. It comes in 8 and 16 ounce tubs and is in the frozen section at the market. Its flavor is light and clean, and not at all salty. For boxed and canned versions, I can recommend Swanson Certified Organic Chicken broth. It is supplied in a 32 ounce container.
This trio of light broth based soups is perfect for someone in need, and with brodo in your freezer you are halfway there. The decorated pasta squares in the Quadrucci in brodo, will lift the spirits of any flu sufferer. The second, Zuppa Pavese is a meal in itself – toasted bread topped with an egg and Parmigiano and set floating in a pool of hot broth, complete nutrition at its simple, yet satisfying best. For a cooked egg soup, try Stracciatella, light broth brimming with egg. Keep these in your recipe file. Like the Girl Scout motto says: Be prepared.
Quadrucci in brodo
Brodo di Pollo – Chicken Stock
How to make chicken stock.
The first in the series – Kitchen Basics
Inquiring minds want to know. My, but after my post on Zuppa di cavolo nero I received so many inquiries about how to make brodo di pollo (chicken stock) that I decided this light chicken broth merits a web address all its own. Brodo di pollo is easy to make and far superior to canned or boxed products. Commercial products often have a bitter or metallic off taste. With homemade brodo the pure clean taste of the chicken and the fragrant vegetables come through and make a magnificent base for any dish. Be sure to use fresh chicken. Don’t switch out any of the vegetables. Use leeks here, not onions. While I use onions for brodo di carne, leeks impart gentle onion undertones in brodo di pollo. And don’t neglect the Italian parsley, it adds a wonderful fresh “green” note.
Making brodo requires a few hours of your time and some patience. There are three keys to clear and pure tasting brodo. The first is fresh ingredients.
The second is diligent skimming of all the scum and foam which, if left behind, will impart a bitter taste and opacity to the brodo. I recommend using a long handled steel mesh skimmer. It makes this job a breeze. Skimmers are available at kitchenware shops and Amazon.
The third key is twofold – you must remove as much of the surface fat as possible while keeping the stockpot well off the boil. Removing the fat is best done with a metal spoon. If you allow the fat to remain and the pot stays at a rolling boil, the fat will emulsify in the brodo, and it will taste greasy. Keep the stockpot at a lazy simmer and skim frequently to achieve pure chicken flavor with not a hint of bitterness or grease.
Brodo di Pollo – Chicken Stock
1 chicken, about 4 1/2 to 5 pounds, cut up, visible pieces of fat removed and discarded
2 leeks, rinsed, dark green leaves discarded, white part cut into 1 inch slices
2 carrots, peeled, cut in 1 inch chunks
2 ribs of celery, leaves attached, cut in 1 inch chunks
8 sprigs of Italian parsley
10 black peppercorns
about 2 quarts filtered water, or enough to cover the chicken and aromatics
Place chicken in 8 quart stockpot, and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Place over high heat, and bring to boil, skimming very frequently to remove foam and scum. Once pot has reached a boil, reduce heat to medium low, adjusting heat to maintain a very lazy simmer. Continue skimming until no more foam or scum rises. Add 1 cup very cold water to encourage the last of the scum to rise to top. Skim.
Once there is no more scum, add aromatics (vegetables, parsley and peppercorns.) Adjust heat to maintain a lazy simmer. With stockpot partially covered, continue cooking about 2 hours more, checking often to be certain vegetables are submerged and using a metal spoon remove any fat, foam or scum that rises to the surface. Check color of brodo at 2 hours; it should be a light yellow. If you want it a bit darker, let it cook thirty minutes longer. Remove from heat. Strain stock through dampened cheesecloth or very fine sieve into glass container. Let brodo drain off meat and vegetables. Do not press; that will cloud the brodo. Discard bones and vegetables, reserving meat for another purpose.
The brodo is now ready to use, however I prefer to refrigerate it overnight. As it cools, the fat will rise to the top and form a solid layer easily removed using a metal spoon. These last steps, refrigerating the brodo and then removing the last bit of fat, contribute to a clean. clear brodo. Store, well covered, in refrigerator 2 days or freeze 6 months.
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Zuppa di Cavolo Nero con Salsiccia ed Orzo
Black Kale, Sausage and Barley Soup
It’s Winter, and that means soup to me. I was craving something satisfying, so I decided on meatballs and cavolo nero. And to be honest, I wanted a shortcut. Then I remembered the fennel sausages in the freezer. Bart had brought them home from his last trip to Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica. I used the sausages as a base for the meatballs, and the scheme worked beautifully. The meatballs were a snap to make, had great flavor, and they held together perfectly in the soup. If you are not a fan of fennel, or if you have something else in your freezer, maybe some spicy sausage, go ahead and use that.
I recommend using pearl barley. It is barley that has been processed to remove the outer hull, and it cooks more quickly and is somewhat less chewy than hulled barley. Note that I call for fresh breadcrumbs in the meatballs, not dried. I like to use egg bread, although a good Italian bread will do. Be certain you do not use sourdough. To make fresh breadcrumbs, place slices of bread on cutting board. Trim and discard crusts. Cut bread into quarters. Place in workbowl of food processor fitted with metal knife and process until finely ground.
Zuppa di Cavolo Nero con Salsiccia ed Orzo
Black Kale, Sausage and Barley Soup
serves 4
Meatballs
makes about 25 1 inch meatballs
1/2 pound Italian sausage with fennel seeds
1/2 small onion, grated
1 large egg yolk plus half an egg white
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
generous 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
Soup
1 medium yellow onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 quarts brodo di pollo (chicken broth)
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 bunch (about 9 ounces) cavolo nero, well rinsed, tough inner ribs removed and discarded, cut into 1 inch slices
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
generous pinch Peperoncino flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to finish soup, if desired
Parmigiano to pass at table
To make the meatballs:
Remove sausages from their casings. Discard casings. Break sausages into small pieces. Set aside.
Grate onion. Blot and discard any liquid produced while grating.
In medium bowl combine onion, egg yolk and white, parsley, salt and pepper. Add cheese and bread crumbs, and combine well. Add sausage meat, and gently, but completely mix. Form into 1 inch meatballs. Place on parchment lined sheet pan while you proceed with soup base.
To make the soup:
In a 6 quart pot heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, salt and peperoncino flakes. Saute until just translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and saute lightly until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add chicken brodo. Bring to boil and add barley. Lower heat to a mild simmer. Cook 10 minutes.
Add meatballs. Cook 5 minutes to allow meatballs to firm up.
Place kale over meatballs, pressing down very gently to submerge. Cook 20 minutes more at a gentle simmer until kale has softened and barley is cooked to your liking. Serve with a bit of olive oil drizzled over soup, if desired. At table pass Parmigiano to grate over soup.
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I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Ravioli alla cavarola
Quilted ravioli
Mom’s pink satin quilt. Filled with the finest goose down, it was the epitome of bedroom comfort. She did not use it all the time. It was a special sort of a quilt, one we kids used only when we were sick. Good and sick, and the arrival of the quilt meant that this sore throat, belly ache or earache was the real deal.
My mom was not the kind of mom who ran to the doctor for every little thing. Not even close. Just ask my brothers and sister if you do not believe me. That is why we knew that when we got the quilt something serious was cooking. It meant that at any moment Dr. Cobley, the family pediatrician, might walk into the bedroom. Yes, Virginia, I am that old. I came of age in the era when physicians made house calls. Read the remainder of this entry »