As bright green leaves mute to deep hues of sangria red, burnt orange and mustard yellow, our effervescent summer vigor to explore far off places also subdues, as we seek out the cozy comforts of our home :: casa. We happily embrace lazy Sunday mornings cuddled under flannel sheets and enjoy wrapping up in heavy sweaters while drinking a steamy hot mug of coffee or tea while reading a book :: libro outside in the backyard, the sun warming our faces as we breath in the earthy and crisp :: frizzante air.
There is something about the changing of the seasons that evokes our souls and awakens our inner spirit. Four times a year we am reminded of the power of change and our minds swirl with anticipation of what the new season :: stagione will bring. During these seasonal shifts, I can honestly say I feel more alive :: vivo. It’s mother nature telling me to open my eyes and let myself become enthralled by my five senses, and to be present for a moment instead of lost in a sea of mental thoughts. Autumn :: autunno is my favorite. I hear the crunching of leaves as I walk down a tree canopied sidewalk, I smell the aroma of freshly roasted chestnuts :: castagne, I feel the soft knit fibers from my scarf under my chin, I see school children chasing each other in clunky boots and I crave to taste something savory, warm and filling.
The fragrant base used in this autumn soup was inspired by my new Italian aunt-in-law’s borlotti bean recipe. I still remember when my Italian husband and I had just started dating, he would rave about that bean recipe to almost an incessant point. I didn’t understand what.the.big.deal.was….until I tried them for myself and literally ate three large helpings. I was addicted, and like him begin to drool :: sbavare the moment one of us start talking about the plump oblong beans and savoury sauce. There is something about the chopped spiced and sautéed vegetables that truly leaves your mouth in food heaven that I decided to adapt it for this soup recipe. The scents of cloves and cinnamon that fill the house are an added plus, making me want to make this recipe just to be surrounded by these warming aromas.
Another benefit of this soup :: zuppa is that you can make it ahead, kids love it and it makes for a nice appetizer for a dinner party when you want awesome presentation and you don’t have a lot of time. Topping the soup with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or pesto croutons adds a rich flavor experience and gourmet appeal.
This spiced pumpkin soup will warm you up on a crisp autumn day.
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 medium pumpkin, about 5 cups of cooked pumpkin (or you could also use a butternut squash)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 vegetable stock cube
½ cup dry white wine
6 cups water (+ more if needed)
½ cinnamon stick
12 whole cloves
5 cherry, grape or datterini tomatos, skins removed
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Generous pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the pumpkin in half and discard the seeds. Cut each half into four chunks and place on the lined cookie sheet. Bake until soft and you can insert a fork all the way through the flesh; about 30 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven and cool on the counter.
Heat two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add the chopped shallot and sauté over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Now add the chopped carrots, white wine and 1 cup water along with the vegetable stock cube. Stir the cube around until dissolved. Add the rest of the water, tomatoes, cloves and crumble the cinnamon into the pan. Cover, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for 10 minutes. Now that the pumpkin has cooled enough to handle, peel off the skin and add it to the pot. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
Once the vegetables are soft, add the mixture to the blender in small batches and pulse until smooth. Or, use an immersion blender and blend it directly in the pot.
Add the parmesan cheese.
If the soup is too thick add ½ cup increments of water, to achieve the desired soup consistency.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with balsamic vinegar or pesto croutons. Serve immediately. Buon appetito!
If I could associate each season with the first word that comes to mind, it would go something like this: winter :: love, spring :: energy, summer :: freedom and autumn :: appreciation. There is something about fall and the mix of warm and crisp days, the smell of fires and the sound of leaves crunching below my feet that provoke intense emotions inside of me—the strongest one being gratitude.
In autumn, I feel so grateful for everything: for the soothing yellow, red and burnt orange colored leaves that cover the branches of the nearby tree when I look out my window; for reading a book next to Mr. Italicano as we cuddle together under a soft fleece blanket; for the warm sweaters that caress my skin like a mother’s loving touch; and for a lunch shared chatting with a friend over a warm bowl of carrot soup and a grilled spinach, feta and white bean sandwich.
Using dill seeds and orange in this carrot soup gives it a soft, sweet taste without taking away from the earthy notes that carrots are known for. To give the flavor more complexity, roundness and warmth, you can also add a splash of heavy cream.
Soups are so comforting to eat and require minimal work in the kitchen. Being that soup is as easy to make for two people as it is for eight, it’s the perfect solution when hosting dinner parties this time of year. Some of my favorite soups are roasted tomato and basil and mushroom, parmesan and broccoli rabe.And, you? What emotion does this season provoke in you?
Carrot Soup with Dill and Orange is a light, comfort food that is perfect for the fall.
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
2 spoonfuls extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
2 pounds (900g) carrots, peeled and sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
½ orange, juiced
⅛-1/4 teaspoon dill seeds, adjust to taste
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
In a large pot, sautè the shallot in the extra virgin olive oil, until translucent but not brown over medium heat; 1-2 minutes.
Add the carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the broth, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots can be pierced with a fork; about 10-15 minutes.
In a blender or with a handheld immersion mixer, pureé the vegetables until smooth. Return to the pot, add the cream and stir over high heat until the soup just begins to boil.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with a spring of oregano, a dollop of greek yogurt or drizzle of cream and chopped chives.
This creamy mushroom, parmesan and broccoli rabe soup has quickly turned into one of my all time favorites. With a slightly bitter and nutty flavor, it pairs well with warm chunks of parmesan rinds and toasted walnut pieces.
You may be asking yourself what “broccoli rabe” is. Like you, I had no idea until I visited the local market and among the spinach, radicchio and lettuce, I spotted a new green leafy vegetable :: verdura I had never seen before. And, of course, my curious palette just had to try it.
Broccoli rabe, or raab, also called, rapini, has spiked leaves and little green buds :: boccioli that resemble tiny heads of broccoli. The leaves, buds, and stems are all edible and have a slightly bitter and nutty taste.
This vegetable is often used in Italian and Portuguese gastronomies but is grown throughout the world. Although it is available :: disponibile all year long, rapini is in season from the fall to spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
It was yet another grey rainy day :: giorno piovoso in Emilia Romagna and thoughts of something warm and satisfying filled my mind when I whipped this soup together. I needed something that I could make in advance that would greet Mr. Italicano and I when we arrived home from tennis lessons.
This recipe was perfect. It didn’t take long to prepare and all I had to do when we arrived home was reheat the soup, toast some of my homemade 7 grain bread and dinner was on the table. Let’s just say, Mr. Italicano was happy, he gets kind of grumpy :: irritabile if he has to wait. (And, super grumpy if I make him wait a long time while I take pictures of the food. Which, I don’t blame him.)
I love good food. I love when the words “wow” involuntarily burst out of my mouth after taking a bite. This was one of those moments thanks to the nutty broccoli rabe flavor combined with sautéed mushrooms, parmesan and cream :: panna all topped with warm chunks of parmesan rinds and crunchy walnuts.
You can easily leave the soup with big chunks, but I prefer to blend :: frullare it to make a creamier textured soup.
This is a perfect recipe to use up your parmesan rinds :: croste. Simply wash them well, drop them in the soup and simmer for 5 minutes. Finding chunks of warm parmesan is like finding little treasures in your bowl.
This creamy mushroom, parmesan and broccoli rabe soup has a slightly bitter and nutty flavor, and pairs well with warm chunks of parmesan rinds and toasted walnut pieces.
1 cup (150g) of grated parmesan cheese (parmigiano reggiano)
Rinds of parmesan (whatever you have), washed and chopped into chunks
3 walnuts per bowl, broken in pieces
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the garlic for 2 minutes then add the red onion and continue cooking for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent.
Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Add the broccoli rabe, chicken broth, heavy cream and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the rapini stems are soft.
Add the parmesean cheese and stir until combined.
Transfer the soup into a blender and pulse until relatively smooth.
Return the mixture to the pot, add the cheese rinds and heat on medium low for 5 minutes or until the cheese rinds are soft.
In the meantime, toast the walnuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often.
Ladle into bowls and top with parsley and walnut pieces.
Canned San Marzano and freshly roasted Datterini tomatoes are the secret ingredients for making a delicious tomato soup all year round.
Italians are serious about alimentation :: alimentazione. I mean serious. They grow up with mothers and grandmothers who make pastas and breads by hand, have the tradition to buy their fruit and vegetables in season from their local markets and spend top price for high quality food; for example, while an Italian may spend $25 for a good chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese that lasts about a week, many of us Americans grow up with the green cylinder already grated parmesean-but-not-really-parmesean-fluffy-powder bought at a whopping price of $2 which is then stored in the side door of the fridge for a year. This is unheard of in Italy. I would like to see the look on an old Italian grandmother’s face :: faccia if I presented her with grated cheese in a cylinder tube….she might just slap me. Or worse, what if I gave her cheese whiz in a can? At that point, I’m sure the wooden cane would come out and I would have to make a dead sprint before she beat me over the head unconscious. It would not be a pretty sight; Italian grandmothers are fierce…
So when I say Italians are serious about their food, I mean it. Italy and the rest of the European Union uphold some of the strictest regulations regarding the typicality of certain foods in order to protect these specialties from imitation :: imitazione. If you’ve ever been to Italy or have bought imported goods, you are probably quite familiar with seeing DOC, DOCG, DOP or IGP on labels; yet, do you know what these acronyms stand for?
WHAT DOES DOC AND DOCG MEAN?
DOC and DOCG are two labels to classify high quality wine. DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) means Controlled Designation of Origin and is a way to demonstrate that the wine has been produced within a specific region, used defined traditional methods of production and packaging :: imballaggio and satisfies a certain quality standard. DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) stands for Controlled Designation of Origin Guaranteed and is an even stricter classification that requires wines to adhere to the above mentioned criteria and further more be analysed and tasted by licensed personnel before being bottled :: imbottigliato .
WHAT DOES DOP AND IGP MEAN?
While wine is classified with DOC and DOCG labels, high quality foods are classified as DOP or IGP. DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) stands for Protected Designation of Origin. As the name suggests, the DOP certification guarentees consumers that the alimentary products are produced from the area where the product originated :: originati and follow traditional methods throughout all stages—from production to packaging. IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) means Indication of Geographical Protection. These labels :: etichette are still noteworthy as they trace food back to their geographical origin for at least one phase in production, but they do not cover all phases like DOP products.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS DOP PRODUCTS?
The most famous DOP products are: buffalo mozzarella, balsamic vinegar ::aceto balsamico, olive oil,basil, pesto, parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), prosciutto (ham) and San Marzano Tomatoes. I’ll cover the other products in future articles, but for now let’s talk about San Marzano tomatoes as they are the base for this recipe. What makes these succulent heirloom tomatoes :: pomodori so special?
San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius, picked by hand, have a low seed count and a bittersweet :: agrodolce flavor. They are optimal tomatoes for sauce and they preserve amazingly well as a canned product; perfect for making tomato soup out of season when fresh tomatoes usually taste like a bland :: insipidi, juiceless ball.
San Marzano tomatoes do cost :: costano quite a bit more than regular canned tomatoes, but I promise you this little indulgence is worth every penny. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think :: pensi!
Canned San Marzano and freshly roasted Datterini tomatoes are the secret ingredients for making a delicious tomato soup all year round.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 lb small vine-ripened tomatoes like Datterini or Grape tomatoes
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ cup, chopped fresh basil plus more for garnish
Two 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
2 cups water
¾ cup heavy cream (optional) + more for garnish
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper. Place the tomatoes on the lined sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until covered. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat then add the basil and stir for 30 seconds. Add the San Marzano tomatoes along with their juice, water, heavy cream and oregano. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Gently add the oven-roasted tomatoes into the saucepan and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with cream and garnish with basil leaves.
There is something about the changing of the seasons that evokes our souls and awakens our inner spirit. Four times a year we am reminded of the power of change and our minds swirl with anticipation of what the new season :: stagione will bring. During these seasonal shifts, I can honestly say I feel more alive :: vivo. It’s mother nature telling me to open my eyes and let myself become enthralled by my five senses, and to be present for a moment instead of lost in a sea of mental thoughts. Autumn :: autunno is my favorite. I hear the crunching of leaves as I walk down a tree canopied sidewalk, I smell the aroma of freshly roasted chestnuts :: castagne, I feel the soft knit fibers from my scarf under my chin, I see school children chasing each other in clunky boots and I crave to taste something savory, warm and filling.
The fragrant base used in this autumn soup was inspired by my new Italian aunt-in-law’s borlotti bean recipe. I still remember when my Italian husband and I had just started dating, he would rave about that bean recipe to almost an incessant point. I didn’t understand what.the.big.deal.was….until I tried them for myself and literally ate three large helpings. I was addicted, and like him begin to drool :: sbavare the moment one of us start talking about the plump oblong beans and savoury sauce. There is something about the chopped spiced and sautéed vegetables that truly leaves your mouth in food heaven that I decided to adapt it for this soup recipe. The scents of cloves and cinnamon that fill the house are an added plus, making me want to make this recipe just to be surrounded by these warming aromas.
Another benefit of this soup :: zuppa is that you can make it ahead, kids love it and it makes for a nice appetizer for a dinner party when you want awesome presentation and you don’t have a lot of time. Topping the soup with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or pesto croutons adds a rich flavor experience and gourmet appeal.
