4 to 6 servings
Use either fresh or frozen tortellini for this soup, a twist on the traditional
tortellini en brodo
that is a traditional Christmas dish all over northern Italy. White beans and the pancetta make this one very hearty and even more flavorful.
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped Swiss chard (1 bunch)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (9-ounce) package cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a large, heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, carrot, and garlic and cook until the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans, Swiss chard, and broth.
Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the tortellini and cook 5 minutes for fresh, 8 minutes for frozen, or until just tender. Season with pepper and serve.
4 to 6 servings
If you like
pasta e fagioli,
you’ll love this rib-sticking soup that substitutes garbanzo beans for the usual cannellinis and adds some tomatoes for color and flavor. It happens to be my Aunt Raffy’s favorite soup.
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 large fresh rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
¾ cup ditalini (thimble-shaped pasta)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Wrap the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine to make a sachet. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, pancetta, and garlic and sauté until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, and herb sachet. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the sachet.
Transfer 1 cup of the bean mixture to a blender and reserve. Add the ditalini to the soup pot, cover, and bring the liquid back to a boil. Boil gently until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Purée the reserved bean mixture until smooth, then stir the purée into the boiling soup. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle each serving with some Parmesan and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
Grating Cheeses
A sprinkling of freshly grated cheese is the finishing touch for many soups as well as pasta dishes, adding a sharp and salty accent. A mellow aged Parmesan is the go-to cheese for most of us, but it’s one of many hard cheeses that are suitable for grating, each of which contributes a different dimension to the finished dish. These are the three I use most often; all three melt beautifully without becoming runny or rubbery.
Asiago:
This aged cow’s-milk cheese is made in the Veneto region of Italy and is sold in both a soft, young version and an aged, hard version, which is the one you want for grating. It’s aged for a minimum of nine months, and it has a sharp flavor very similar to an aged Cheddar. It’s not as buttery as Parmesan, but it can be substituted for it in many recipes, depending on how sharp and robust you like your cheesy topping. I especially like it on hearty dishes with a meat or mushroom sauce.
Parmigiano-Reggiano:
Considered the finest variety of Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano is a cow’s-milk cheese that is aged for up to two years, and its flavor is most pronounced when the cheese is grated. It’s slightly salty and fruity with a grainy, brittle texture that is even a bit crunchy; its subtle flavor won’t overpower delicate pastas and light cream sauces. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a staple in my fridge, and I use it to enhance the flavor of just about everything, including eggs, veggies, breads, and much more. Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano is imported from Italy and, although it is pricier than other imported and domestic Parmesans, it is well worth it. Look for the stamp on the rind to make sure you’re getting the real thing.
Pecorino:
Unlike Parmesan, Pecorino is a sheep’s-milk cheese (in fact,
pecorino
means “sheep” in Italian). Again, you’re looking for the aged hard cheese, not the soft creamy one. Pecorino is aged, but not as long as Parmesan. It has a salty, tangy flavor and it melts beautifully on pasta and sauces. It is a little more assertive than Parmesan and can be substituted for it in many recipes if you want a sharper kick.
6 servings
You can make this kind of soup anytime, using any kind of pasta you like. Small shapes and short noodles are the obvious choices, but my parents often added spaghetti or fettuccine, broken into small pieces so we could still eat it with a spoon. The fettuccine looks a little more elegant, but if all you have on hand is spaghetti, that’s fine; the soup will have a more rustic, homey look.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped and well rinsed
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 small zucchini, thinly sliced, about 4 cups
2 (13¾-ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 cups vegetable broth
5 ounces fresh fettuccine, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add half the minced garlic, the zucchini, artichokes, salt, and pepper, and sauté until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Bring the soup back up to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, add the pasta, and cook for 1 minute more (if you are using dried pasta or a different shape, adjust the cooking time accordingly to cook the pasta just to al dente).
Meanwhile, combine the remaining garlic, the Parmesan, softened butter, and thyme in a small bowl and stir with a fork until well blended.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a dollop of the Parmesan mixture and serve.
4 to 6 servings
I love the velvety texture of this soup. Although it has four cloves of garlic, it’s not garlicky because they are poached.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 fresh sage leaf
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, halved
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 slices ciabatta bread
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle one-third to one-half of the soup into a blender and purée until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pot. Purée the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pot, add the cream and the pepper. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the ciabatta slices with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill the bread until golden grill marks appear and the bread is warm, about 3 minutes per side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside.
