Our grandparents knew this well; when it got cold, what you could do to protect yourself and keep lurking ailments at bay was to keep the fireplace with the fire always on, cover yourself up and eat something hot and substantial like soups, plain cooking, handed down by generation after generation. Tuscan cuisine is no exception, indeed it boasts many recipes of this kind.
Here are the favorite tuscan soup recipes by our Chef, Pietro Fortunati to cope with the cold.
Ingredients for 6 people:
• 3 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 white onion
• 1 red onion
• 250 grams of dried cannellini beans
• 2 bunches of black cabbage
• 400 gr of peeled tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 500 gr stale bread
Method:
Boil the beans, previously soaked for at least 8 hours in water, once cooked let them cool in their broth, then blend half and set the other half aside. In a large pot, sauté coarsely chopped carrots, celery and onion, once the vegetables are wilted, add the washed black cabbage and deprived of the central ribs. Let it simmer for a few minutes and add the peeled tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover everything with hot water or broth and cook over medium heat for at least an hour and a half. Once the cabbage is cooked, add the previously blended beans and the whole beans. Cook for another 20 minutes. When cooked, check that it has not dried too much, if necessary add water. While the soup rests, cut the stale bread into cubes, depriving it of the crust. Add the bread to the soup, making sure it is completely wet. Let it rest overnight. The next day, boil everything, mixing well.
The chef recommends: to best enjoy it, a drizzle of raw extra vergin olive oil and freshly chopped spring onion to taste.
Ingredients for 4 people:
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 500 grams of pearl spelled
• 500 grams of dried lentils
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thyme
Method:
Rinse the spelled well under cold running water, then cook it starting from cold salted water, removing the foam once. Once cooked, drain and set aside. Boil the lentils in salted water. When cooked, drain the lentils, holding the cooking water aside. In a saucepan, sauté the finely chopped herbs, add the lentils and spelled. Season with salt and pepper, brown for a few minutes over high heat and add the tomato paste. Once the concentrate has melted, add the lentil water until it is covered. Lower the heat and cook for an hour. Take two ladles of the soup and blend them and then join them for the rest.
The chef recommends: slowly brown a clove of garlic and the sprigs of thyme in plenty of oil. Filter and use the oil to season the soup.
Ingredients for 4 people:
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 500 grams of dried cannellini beans
• 200 gr of pasta for soup (eg ditalini)
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• Salt
• Pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Boil the previously soaked beans to soak for at least 8 hours with a spoonful of baking soda. In a saucepan, sauté the garlic, the whole peeled carrot and the celery stalk cut in half. Once the vegetables are browned, add the cooked beans. Simmer for a few minutes and then add the tomato paste, season with salt and pepper and cook the beans in the cooking water. After 20/30 minutes, blend the soup leaving the carrot and celery aside. Boil for another 20/30 minutes. Add the pasta making sure the soup is liquid enough, as the psata will absorb most of the liquid. Turn off the heat 2/3 minutes before the pasta is cooked and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
The chef recommends: season the soup with chilli oil and add the cooked celery and carrot cut into small pieces. Good to eat cold the next day with oil and grated Parmesan.
Ingredients for 4 people:
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 white onion
• 300 gr beef muscle
• Half chicken
• Beef shank bone
• Cloves
• Salt
• 4 eggs
• 150 gr of grated Parmesan type cheese
• Chopped parsley
Method:
Prepare the broth by putting the carrot, celery, onion, meat and bones and cloves in cold water and bring to a boil. Remove the foam produced once. Boil the broth for at least 3 hours. Filter the broth and set the meat and vegetables aside. Beat the eggs together with the salt and pepper parsley parmesan. Bring the broth back to the boil in a saucepan, lower the heat and add the beaten egg mixture while stirring. Serve hot.
The chef recommends: shred the reserved meat and vegetables and add them to the plate of stracciatella.
Try them and let us know if you liked them!
