From scseamstress@yahoo.com Fri Jan 4 15:49:38 2002 Date: 4 Jan 2002 14:19:41 GMT From: Mildred Kolb Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Subject: Italian Escarole Soup (3) Collection Followup-To: rec.food.cooking, rec.food.recipes ZUPPA DI GNOCCHETTI E SCAROLA (Italian Wedding Soup) also called Escarole Soup Escarole Soup with Cranberry Beans ZUPPA DI GNOCCHETTI E SCAROLA (Gnocchi and Escarole Soup) MAKES 2 QUARTS To me, tiny cuts of macaroni such as gnocchetti, the shell- shaped pasta used in this recipe, will always be synonymous with comfort food. In an Italian kitchen it was the role of soup not only to satisfy but to soothe and heal, especially when one had a cold or an upset stomach. In this filling soup the goal is a balance of flavors, which come together beautifully. Any type of dried bean can be used, but if you are really pressed for time, canned beans can be substituted if they are drained and rinsed well. Cooking the beans and pasta separately retains the texture of each ingredient. 1 cup dried red kidney beans, picked over 7 cups water 2 teaspoons fine sea salt 1 cup gnocchetti, orzo, or ditalini 1/4 pound pancetta or bacon, diced 1 large leek (8 ounces), white part only, washed well and thinly sliced 1 pound escarole, washed, drained, and coarsely chopped 1/2 teaspoon celery salt 3 cups hot beef broth or veal stock 1 tablespoon tomato paste Grinding of black pepper Rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Soak the beans overnight in 2 cups of the water. Next day, drain the beans, put them in a 2-quart saucepan, cover them with water, bring them to a boil, and continue to let them boil until just al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water, place them in a large bowl, and set aside. Refill the saucepan with the remaining 5 cups water, bring to a boil, stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and the gnocchetti and cook over medium-high heat until just al dente. Drain and add the gnocchetti to the kidney beans. In a soup pot, slowly brown the pancetta over medium heat, stirring often until it softens and begins to render some of its fat. Add the sliced leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the escarole, remaining teaspoon salt, celery salt, stock, reserved cooking water, tomato paste, pepper, and cheese rinds. Cover the pot, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, stir in the kidney beans and gnocchetti, cover the pot, and cook 5 minutes longer before serving. TIP: Clean escarole well by soaking it in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain and rinse again in a colander. This also works for leeks. Cut them in half lengthwise first. TIP: When you can no longer grate the remaining Parmigiano cheese near the rind, add the rind to the soup pot along with the stock and water. At the end of the cooking time, remove the rinds, scrape off the softened cheese, discarding the rind, and stir it back into the soup. NOTE: The soup can be made several days ahead but will thicken as it stands. Reheat it, adding warm water if a thinner consistency is desired. Found on Steve Saviello's Comunes_Of_Italy Mailing List: (Italian Wedding Soup) also called Escarole Soup 1 Head of escarole. Washed, steamed and chopped to bite size. 2 Hard boiled eggs chopped 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken, cut up. Small meatballs, marble size. 1 Large onion and celery leaves 1/2 Cup carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 Cup crushed egg noodles or pastene Place chicken, onion, celery leaves in a pot. Cover with water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is very tender and falls away from the bone. (1- 11/2 hours.) Remove chicken, celery leaves and onion. Chop chicken to bite sized pieces. Reserve broth. Put celery and carrots in broth. Cook until tender (4-5 minutes) Add escarole, meatballs, noodles, eggs, and chicken. Bring to a boil. simmer for until noodles are cooked. Serve hot with crusty bread. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Found on Steve Saviello's Comunes_Of_Italy Mailing List: -----Found on Steve Saviello's Comunes_Of_Italy Mailing List: Escarole Soup with Cranberry Beans 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped leek (white part only) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 7 cups fat free chicken broth 1 cup cooked cranberry beans 1 bay leaf 1 sprig Italian parsley 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional) 1 head escarole (about 1 pound), washed, drained, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch strips 2 to 3 teaspoons salt or to taste fresh black pepper to taste grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional) Hearty Italian soups often include cranberry beans (also known as Romano or borlotti). They contribute heft and act as a thickening alternative to flour, rice, and potatoes. Recognizable by their pink-brown speckles, they can be found in health food stores and Italian markets. If you cannot find them, substitute cannellini beans. But, whatever you do, do not use canned ones! To cook cranberry beans: Soak 1/2 cup beans overnight in 2 cups water. Drain and combine in a saucepan with 2 cups water, 1/4 peeled onion, 1 small garlic clove (peeled), and 1/2 bay leaf. Simmer 1-1/2 to 2 hours until tender, but not falling apart. Remove the garlic, onion and bay leaf. Drain and use in the recipe. If you have room in your freezer, you can multiply the quantities and freeze some (covered by cooking liquid) for future use. I make about 2 cups (dry) at a time which yields 4 cups cooked. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes, until soft. Add the broth, beans, herbs, and Parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes Add the escarole and simmer for about 5 minutes until it is tender. Remove herbs and cheese rind. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, grated with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Makes about 10 cups. Found on Steve Saviello's Comunes_Of_Italy Mailing List: -- Rec.food.recipes is moderated; only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting. Please send recipes, requests, questions or comments to Moderator Patricia Hill at recipes@rt66.com Please allow several days for your submission to appear.