Extra Virgin (17 page)

Authors: Gabriele Corcos

BOOK: Extra Virgin

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In a deep 14-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and nipitella, season with salt and pepper to taste, then reduce the heat to medium and
cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the mushrooms are soft, stirring delicately so the mushrooms don’t break. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Discard the nipitella and garlic.

To the same pan the mushrooms were in, add the butter and shallot and sauté over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shallot is softened. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes to let it reduce. Add the cheese rind (if you’re using grated Parmesan, that won’t be added until later), reduce the heat to medium-low, and slowly start adding stock, a 4- to 6-ounce ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and giving the rice time to absorb the liquid before adding another ladleful, until the rice is al dente, 15 to 25 minutes.

Add the chopped squab meat and cooked porcini mushrooms, season with salt and pepper to taste, stir well, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, adding more stock if necessary to prevent the risotto from drying out. (If using grated Parmesan instead of a cheese rind, add it in the final minutes.)

Serve on plates sprinkled with some Parmesan and parsley, and drizzled with a little olive oil.

LENTIL SOUP

PASTA AND BEAN SOUP

TUSCAN BREAD AND VEGETABLE SOUP

TUSCAN BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP

MINESTRONE

TUNA AND SWORDFISH SOUP

COLD VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MINT

LOBSTER AND CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

SPICY MUSSEL SOUP WITH GRILLED BREAD

G:
When I think about soup, I remember my Nonna during the winter, offering a mug of hot, warming brodo (broth) before every meal. It was simple, earthy, and flavorful, and it got my insides ready for the hot food to come. But I also remember soup as a sneaky way that my parents got me to eat vegetables. It’s a technique I was well aware of as I gulped down each bowlful, and as a dad myself now, I wholeheartedly champion it!

D:
I buy every old wives’ tale about soup’s medicinal properties. But I also love going to the farmers’ market and getting inspired by what’s in season there. You can load up on fresh vegetables, go home, let those ingredients lead you in a certain direction, and before you know it you’ve made enough soup to last several days. It means you can feed your family for longer than just one sitting.

G:
These are a handful of reliably delicious recipes that range from old-school traditional Tuscan—hot, thick, hearty, and peasant in origin—to the more sophisticated kind my wife has managed to convince me are just as delicious. You can now count me as a fan of cold cucumber soup, thanks to Deborah.

D:
As my husband has come to learn, cold
soups aren’t just for actresses getting spa treatments. They can be so refreshing on a hot summer day.

G:
Exactly. So as you enjoy these recipes, above all, let them stir in you the desire to create your own tradition in a pot.

LENTIL SOUP

ZUPPA DI LENTICCHIE

SERVES 6–8

D:
This is our New Year’s Eve staple, the one that provides the first bite that ensures good luck for January and beyond. Lentils have always been one of the most satisfying soup textures, and our soup version starts with a soffritto that gives it the loveliest pork-infused flavor.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

2 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, diced

½ red onion, finely chopped

3 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Pinch of hot red pepper flakes (optional)

1 pound dried lentils

1 (1½-ounce) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind

Feshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 to 8 slices toasted bread

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pancetta (or prosciutto) and sauté for 5 minutes, or until golden but not too crisp. Add the red onion, celery, and carrots, stir well, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the tomato paste and pepper flakes (if using) and stir well with a wooden spoon.

Pour the lentils into the pot, add the cheese rind and parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, cover with 6 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the lentils are swollen, on the softer side of al dente.

Garnish with Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and a slice of toasted bread on the side.

PASTA AND BEAN SOUP

PASTA E FAGIOLI

SERVES 6

D:
We believe that two touches make this classic extra special. The first is saving some whole, unpuréed beans to put in at the end as a nice serving visual. The second is adding the pasta to each bowl individually—this way your kids, if they’re pasta lovers, can be given more if they want, and your al dente pasta stays that way a little longer rather than cooking longer in the pot.

1 pound dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight in cold water to cover

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

3 ounces guanciale, diced

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes (pelati), broken up

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces ditalini or pennette

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Drain the beans, add them to the boiling water, stir well, and cook for about 40 minutes until tender.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the guanciale and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp. Add the garlic and rosemary and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the sauce starts thickening.

When the beans are ready, drain and set aside 1 cup. Transfer the rest of the beans and their cooking liquid to a blender. Purée the beans in the blender, and add them to the pot with the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, to blend the flavors. Add water if needed to thin out the soup.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta briefly under cold water, then transfer to a large bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil and stir well.

When the soup is ready, serve it in individual bowls. Add ½ cup pasta to each bowl and a sprinkling of the reserved whole beans. Season with pepper and top with a drizzle of olive oil.

IMPORTANTE!
Although this recipe calls for guanciale, vegetarians and those keeping kosher need only leave that part of the recipe out.

Tuscan Bread and Vegetable Soup

TUSCAN BREAD AND VEGETABLE SOUP

RIBOLLITA

SERVES 4

G:
All hail the Tuscan peasant farmer! He’s saved up his stale bread and cheap vegetables during the winter for this very dish, a hearty, thick soup that will keep the family fed for days. Ribollita means “reboiled,” and ideally you’d make your ribollita the night before, stick it in the fridge, and reheat it the next day, as it gets better while it sits. It’s a cold-climate classic straight from the people of my region, and nothing put a bigger smile on my face than when my daughter Giulia, at six months, took to it as her first solid food!