Home ~ Made Chicken Pasta Noodle Soup!

"Oh the weather outside is frightful"  . . . NOT!

It's 70 degrees here today on the 8th of December!

"and my dear, you're so delightful" . . . NOT!

My dear husband is sick with a horrible cold.  Yes, he's still as delightful as one can be when one is sick.

Singing the rest of this Christmas song might have brought a 'slight' smile to my congested and stuffy-headed husband, but for a little physical assistance, I knew that it would be better if I helped nurse his head and chest cold with some humble home-made chicken broth and wonderful pasta noodles that I brought home from Italy.

Plus, I don't have a great voice for singing!

As they say in the old wives's tale, eat chicken soup to help cure the common cold.

Whether there is any truth to that wisdom or not, I know that chicken soup certainly helps 'mentally' when a loved one is under the weather.

I picked up this package of 'Spaghetti Tagliati' while on the Amalfi Coast this past October 

because I felt that this pasta shape closely represented the pasta shape for chicken soup  

that Americans are accustomed to purchasing in the market 

for 'package-ready-made' chicken soup (i.e:  Lipton's)

The recipe for homemade chicken broth follows, but in general,

fill up a HUGE pot of water and insert lots of fresh onions, carrots, celery, and 

Italian parsley . . . then add

a really good cut-up chicken (see recipe link below)

and beef (if you like) to the veggie-filled water

after several hours of cooking on low heat,

STRAIN all of the meat and veggies into a strainer 

and then filter several times through a light, paper-thin tea towel

to remove (what we call) the 'gunk' out of the broth

in order to make it clean, clear and pure broth!

Refrigerate the chicken broth overnight.

The fat will rise to the top and harden.

The next day, remove the hardened fat and discard.

this is the beautiful result that you will have!

This DOES NOT take a lot of work

and is so worth it!

While you're blogging, or reading a foodie magazine or watching a favorite foodie TV show,

get this broth going on the stove,

freeze it,

and have it on hand for whenever you might need it!

Home-made chicken broth TOTALLY outshines store-bought chicken broth!

And now here's the link to my post in 2009 for a complete step-by-step tutorial on making homemade "brodo di pollo" (chicken broth).  I hope you enjoy my family chicken broth recipe (click the link) that has been passed down through many generations!

Once you have made and/or frozen your chicken broth, 

either use the freshly made broth or heat up the frozen broth on the stove

add your favorite pasta or tortellini

cook until 'al dente' and no longer

while the pasta is cooking, 

grind some fresh Parmigiana-Regiano cheese 

to sprinkle on top of your soup!

Never use the pre-packaged, canned varieties of Parmesan sold in stores!

Freshly ground Parmigiana cheese makes such a noticeable difference!

Sprinkle the freshly grated Parmigiana on your hot chicken noodle/pasta soup!

and enjoy !!!!

Wishing you a healthy and Merry Christmas season!

And if any of your loved ones happen to catch a bad cold,

this delicious soup will help them so that they too can

 better enjoy the festivities of this wonderful holiday!!

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Jessica of "Kitchen Bellicious" Guest Post: Peppered Beef Soup in Toasted Bread Bowls

I have wanted to ask many of my favorite foodie bloggers to guest post here in on ‘la bella vita’ for sometime. This month I was priviledged to have Liz from “That Skinny Chick Can Bake” help launch this endeavor. And today, I am THRILLED to share a guest post from one of my absolute favorite food bloggers, Jessica from “Kitchen Bellicious”. Jessica writes an AMAZING blog on which she features fabulous recipes that she truly does prepare . . . and all of this while raising two small children. I don’t know how many of her recipes that I have printed out to make some day soon, but I have also prepared and shared two (2) of her recipes on my blog as well. I am so impressed with Jessica and her blog and I truly thank her dearly for her kindness to guest post on ‘la bella vita’. Please visit her soon, and I’m certain you’ll love what you read and will follow her along!

If ‘guest posting’ is something that you would be interested in doing on ‘la bella vita’, please do let me know, OK? Thanks!

And now here is Jessica’s delicious and super-yummy soup in a bread bowl recipe that is not only creative (who can resist a ‘bread bowl’?), but is also perfect for this autumnal time of year in the States when the temperatures are dipping in most of the country and when we enjoy more comforting soups to warm our souls.

From Jessica:

Enjoy comfort in a bowl!

This hearty slow cooked meal will remind you of the comfort and joy of being home and enjoying dinner together as a family. Peppered Beef Stew served in a crispy toasted bread bowl is a simple twist on the classic pot roast with all the fixings. From carrots, celery and potatoes to the flavor of slow cooked onions and mushrooms mixed with a touch of beer, red wine and Worcestershire, this amazing bowl of goodness will impress even your hardest clients (your family).

I grew up on pot roast, so to speak. It was a tradition in our family, especially one for holidays or family gatherings after church. When the cold weather began trickling in you were sure to find the smell of slow cooked pork roast lingering through the house with a side of – –you guessed it – - bread! Even to this day, when I make pot roast I am reminded of growing up and it still puts a smile on my face!

I have done my “generational” pot roast recipe on Kitchen Belleicious before so I wanted to do something different with it, a twist on an old classic and modernize what some think of as old food. By “roasting” pre-cut roast meat or stew meat and adding the fixings one would find in a standard soup I was able to bring you the most incredible bowl of comfort. The toasted bread bowls are just an added extra, making the soup fun and exciting. Besides what is soup without bread? That’s what I thought!

Tip: Make easy at home croutons with the center of the toasted bread bowls. Cut the reserved bread in cubes and place in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and a few of your favorite dried herbs and bake at 400 degrees (F) for 7-9 minutes!



Peppered Beef Soup in Toasted Bread Bowls
(courtesy of Southern Living)

1 package of baby carrots
2 stalks of celery
6 small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of beef stock
1 can of beer
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
½ cup AP flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 /2 lb beef stew meat
2-3 TBSP vegetable oil
3 loaves frozen bread dough

Rinse the stew meat and pat dry.
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, cajun seasoning and garlic powder in a Ziploc bag.
Add the roast and shake to coat.
Sear the roast over medium to low heat in a cast iron skillet for 5-6 minutes (1-2 min per side) until browned on all sides. (I like to brown mine to the point of almost no return:)
Place the rmeat in a slow cooker and add in the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and bread dough.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours until fork tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Bread Bowls:

Follow package directions for thawing the dough.
Once the dough has been thawed and properly risen.
Divide each loaf into 4 large rounds, resulting in a total of 12 bread rounds.
Place each round on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove and allow to cool before cutting out the center of the bread rounds using a knife and spoon.
Keep the leftover bread for dipping….
Spoon the stew into each round and enjoy!


THANKS Jessica for sharing this wonderful, comfort soup with us!
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Our Super Bowl Spicy Chili!

Are you ready for some football?  For the Super Bowl today, we're about as ready as possible (mostly ready for all the hype to be over).  Oh yes, we'll watch the game alright, and most importantly, we'll enjoy noshing on some good eats the entire time!   On the menu is a pot of hot n' spicy chili, perfect for not only the big game, but also for a February Sunday afternoon even though the sun is shining brightly and the temperature is a spring-like 60 degrees.  So it's not as though we needed some chili to warm up our innards, but rather to just keep with our Super Bowl game tradition!  This chili recipe is a combination of a variety of recipes that I have married together throughout the years.  It is though, fairly spicy in heat and includes three varieties of beans plus some corn.  We just love it and I hope that you enjoy it too.

Favorite Spicy Hot Chili

4 Tbsp. olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, minced through a garlic press
2 - 3 cups finely chopped celery, including the leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
2 large green peppers, chopped
1 can of corn, drained
2 lbs. ground pork
4 - 5 lbs. ground lean ground round
1/2 can chopped jalapeno peppers . . . or better yet, 1/2 of one chopped fresh jalapeno pepper with seeds removed ~ ~ note that using the fresh option increases the level of heat (spiciness).
1/2 cup chili powder
1/3 cup cumin
2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 28-oz. cans peeled, whole or diced Italian tomatoes
3 6-oz. cans tomato paste
1 28-oz.  can tomato sauce
4 cups water
Louisiana Hot Sauce - - generously sprinkle as much as you like (and we like our chili HOT!)
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Garnish:
Sour cream
Finely shredded 4-cheese Mexican cheese blend
Chopped green onion stems
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Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan.
Add the garlic, chopped onion, celery, and green pepper to saute'.
Add the pork and beef.  Cook while constantly stirring and breaking down the chunks of meat, cooking until the meat is browned nicely.
Add all of the spices and stir until well blended.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
Add the corn (really this is optional).
Add the jalapenos (use the amount you prefer for heat level).
Heat up the spiciness by adding Louisiana Hot Sauce, about 5 shots to begin with.
Adjust seasonings by adding more where desired, especially the cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes!
Cook on low heat for about an hour to allow all of the flavors to blend, adding more water if the chili becomes to thick.  Add a little water at a time until your preference of thickness is reached.
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Garnish with sour cream, Mexican cheese, and chopped green onion stems.
Serve with fresh cornbread and/or tortilla chips.
Also have small bowls of sour cream and Mexican cheese to pass around to your guests.
** This chili freezes very nicely too, since this is a big batch of chili!
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Tortellini in Brodo (Tortellini in Broth) A Northern Italian Classic!

Everyone loves their cherished family traditions, especially for the holidays.  For my family, no holiday would ever be complete without tortellini in broth (tortellini in brodo).  We serve this soup the authentic way from northern Italy, specifically the provence of Emilia-Romagna.  Although tortellini is delightful served in a cream sauce, this is the true northern Italian way to serve it.  My family savors this delicate homemade stuffed pasta in a very American way that differs from how it is served in Italy . . . we fill our bowls with a large quantity of tortellini, whereas in Italy only a small amount of tortelllini float in a large amount of broth.  Why keep going back for seconds when it's already in front of you in your bowl?  Makes sense to me!

We are spending Thanksgiving in a much different way than in the past.  For the first time we are celebrating this holiday on the coast on Hilton Head Island, SC.  The weather is just gorgeous in the 70's to low 80's, with soft breezes and cool evenings.    It really is a wonderful change.  Each day we've been biking and walking the beach.  A perfect way to relax, restore, and ponder on all things that we are grateful for.

This recipe requires several days to prepare; one day to make the pasta and broth, and one day to fill and twist the tortellini.  If you have the time and desire for a true Italian homemade pasta specialty, here is my cherished family recipe for Tortellini in Brodo (Tortellini in Broth):

I found this following bit of Italian food trivia on the Barilla web-site:


"Although tortellini are undoubtedly a food from Emilia, the origin of this famous pasta dish is unclear. One thing is for sure and that is that tortellini are fairly ancient. There is a recipe for tortelli, larger tortellini, that dates back to the 12th century, while the first recipe for tortellini alla Bolognese comes from 1550. From that moment on, tortellini have held a special place in the cuisine of Bologna. 


There are many legends told about this dish: one of the most famous, written by Cerri in the 14th century, recounts that Mars, Bacchus and Venus came down to earth to intervene in the 12th century war between the people of Modena and Bologna. Having arrived at the battle site, the three guests decided to spend the night at an inn in Castelfranco, a small town located in between the two cities. 


According to the legend, in the morning, Bacchus and Mars woke up early to visit the battle site, but when Venus awoke, she thought she had been abandoned by her companions. She immediately called the innkeeper to find out where they had gone. The innkeeper arrived to find the goddess of love naked in front of him. The beauty of her body made such a strong impression on him that he created a new shape of pasta that resembled her belly button!


DID YOU KNOW THAT...


Traditionally, when cooked in broth, 50 tortellini were served per person?"


Thanks Barilla!

Tortellini in Brodo (Tortellini in Broth)

Pasta Dough:

Blend together:

1 - 2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

2 jumbo eggs

2 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. whole milk (this helps the pasta seal together when twisting the tortellini)

1 cup Semolina flour

Blend these six ingredients together very, very well.

Then add:

3/4 cup regular flour (not semolina)

You can mix this the old-fashioned way by making a "bowl" of flour on a wooden block, placing the wet ingredients in the center of the 'flour bowl' and gently add the flour in with a fork until completely mixed, OR you can mix the dough in a food processor until it has the consistency of corn meal. This finished dough should be well blended, but NOT sticky. If it is sticky, cut the dough into 3 sections and add 1 Tbsp. flour to each. If, on the other hand, it is too dry and crumbly, add 1 - 2 tsp. water.

Knead the pasta dough for 2 - 3 minutes. Put into plastic bag and let rest for 30 minutes.

For every egg that you use, it will make about 100 tortellini, therefore this recipe makes 100 tortellini (at the correct size that is).

Tortellini Filling:

1 lb. ground cooked veal, drain the fat and cool slightly

1/4 lb. prosciutto

1/4 lb. mortadella

While the veal is cooking, grind the prosciutto and mortadella in a food processor, only until it is in little pieces -- don't process to much or it will turn into a mushy mess.

Then add this the cooked veal; let it cool a little or the egg that you are about to add will cook and you don't want the eggs to cook.

Add to this whole mixture:

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. (or more to taste) nutmeg

dash of pepper

1 jumbo beaten egg

Continue to add:

1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmigiana Reggiano cheese

1/3 - 2/3 cups plain bread crumbs

If needed: add 1 - 2 Tbsp. butter

You need to taste throughout the blending process to determine the 'crumbly texture and biting taste'.

Now, let's get the chicken broth going on the stove before you get started rolling the pasta dough out.

Homemade Chicken Broth (Brodo):

Fill a large, tall pot with clean water (I like to use water from my frig that purifies it) with enough room from the top of the pot to put the rest of the ingredients in without overflowing the water.

Put the following in the pot:

One 6-pound chicken (hen)

1 package soup bones (if you can get them)

1 4-pound round bone beef roast

3 carrots, cut in thirds

1 onion, cut in 1/4's

3 celery stalks, cut in thirds

1/4 bunch of Italian parsley

salt

Cook 2 - 3 hours.

Take all ingredients out of the broth with a hand strainer.

With thin tea towels covering a colander/strainer, pour the broth through them into another pot......this is a lot of work and usually needs two people to do this. Be careful, the broth is very hot while you do this. Continue to strain the broth into clean tea towels about two more times until the broth is completely clear and free of any ingredient remains.

Taste, add more salt to taste.

If you make this the night before, refrigerate it, and then the next day, skim off any fat/grease from the top (it will solidify in the frig and be very easy to remove).

Serve with freshly grated Parmigiana cheese

Buon Appetito and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Nonna's Italian Stew!

October has arrived!  

Finally, we're able to enjoy a break in the intense heat of this past summer.  All of these welcomed cooler days and chilly evenings officially ring in the time of year to prepare delicious, rib-sticking, hearty soups and stews.   So today, with daytime temps in the low 70's, it was a perfect time to prepare my mother's treasured stew.

Although we enjoy this throughout fall and winter, it is very special to my family because we traditionally serve this stew every Christmas eve, ladled on top of creamy polenta and thick slices of cheese.  Since my family is from the northern mountains of Italy, they do not live near the sea.  My relatives weren't even aware of the Italian 'Feast of the Seven Fishes' on Christmas eve!

Now this is definitely an Italian version of beef and vegetable stew.  It's thick tomato base and garlic give this stew it's distinctive difference.  Here is the recipe for our beloved Italian stew:

Nonna's Italian Stew

2 lbs. round steak or London broil, cut into 1" cubes
8 cloves minced garlic
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 carrots, peeled, sliced into 1 - 2" pieces
10 russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 2" cubes
2 cups sliced celery, with the leaves chopped up
2 large onions, quartered
1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
at least 12 oz. of tomato paste
at least 4 cups of water

In a large, deep, heavy pot, brown the meat cubes in the olive oil.
Add the garlic when the meat is browned (do not burn the garlic).
Add the tomato paste and the water.
Cook the meat approximately 45 minutes.
Add all of the vegetables and more water if it is too thick.
Add the parsley.
Cook for potatoes are 'al dente' and NOT mushy, about 20 minutes.
Always taste and change, taste and change to your preferences!

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Gazpacho Ala Mama!!

My mother just prepared the best gazpacho I've ever tasted in my life!  I brought a huge box of tomatoes from my garden back to the Midwest with me and since gazpacho is one of her favorite soups along with this intense heat in July, she decided to use them to make her 'wow-factor' version of this chilled Spanish tomato-vegetable soup.  I inherited my 'preserve, freeze, and/or can' outlook from my mother, so not surprisingly, she froze most of this batch of soup to enjoy later.  "No waste, no want!"   I could easily say that this gazpacho could rival that of the culinary pros.

The color of this soup is seriously this beautiful shade of deep red, resulting from the vine-ripe tomatoes that she used.  This radiant color and flavor cannot be achieved with those hard, juice-less, spongy pink things that you find in a grocery store.  Also worth noting:  the flavor intensifies as it chills in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.

My mother doesn't use exact measurements, she's an old-school, taste-as-you-go cook and she is a master at it.  So I said that she had to give me a little help to be able to write down the recipe and post it here.

Gazpacho Ala Mama

6 cups chopped, vine-ripe, fresh tomatoes
2 large cucumbers, 1 peeled, 1 with peel left on, all seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4" chunks
2 cups chopped celery, sliced and cut into 1/4" chunks
1 cup Vidalia onion, sliced and cut into 1/4" chunks
2 red peppers, stem and seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4" chunks
1 yellow pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4" chunks
1 green pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced and cut into 1/4" chunks
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup vinegar:  1/2 of it balsamic vinegar and 1/2 of it red wine vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
5 cups tomato juice (Campbell's brand is recommended)

Mix everything together and chill overnight for the best marriage of flavors!

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Homemade Tomato Bisque/Soup for Autumn Enjoyment!

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A hot bowl of soup on a hot summer day is not for me!  However, while tomatoes are ripe and now in the peak of their season, this is the time to make a big batch of tomato soup and to can or freeze it.  So in the midst of our 99 degree weather day, that's just what I did today.  If you have ever had the pleasure of sipping fresh tomato soup or any flavor of soup for that matter, you'll never go back to the canned varieties!  You also know that there are no additives, artificial flavorings, and not so much salt/sodium in your homemade soups!  Plus there's no fat in this, unless of course you add the good mono fats of the olive oil (and we still need that for our skin, you know).

Fresh, chopped basil and garlic mingle with sauteed onions and carrots to make this soup's flavor explode!  In the cold days of fall and winter, we'll add cream to this for our favorite version of tomato soup alongside some grilled cheese panini!  Now that's where the fat will come in, but hey, you have to indulge now and then!  All this sweaty, hard work in the kitchen will be appreciated when the chilly weather arrives and we'll be enjoying some summer flavors in a bowl.

For this recipe, I don't have exact amounts of tomatoes listed, because I just throw in as many as my taste palate prefers.  I recommend that you do the same.  Start off with at least 10 tomatoes though.

Fresh Homemade Tomato and Basil Bisque/Soup

4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups red onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
10 large, very ripe tomatoes, peels and stems/core removed, seeded if possible
(start with this amount and taste to see if you want a stronger tomato flavor).
1/4 - 1/3 cup of fresh basil, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable if you're vegetarian), homemade is best (which I also freeze large batches of to use in soups).
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of cream, if cream of tomato soup is desired.

In a big soup pot, pour in the olive oil with the stove heat set to low.
Add the onions and carrots to saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and saute for one more minute.
For the tomatoes, I blanch them, let them cool, then remove the peels and stem/cores.
Place the peeled tomatoes into a food mill (on top of a medium/large bowl to catch the juice) and turn them around until all of the seeds remain inside the mill and all of the tomato puree comes out into a bowl.  I do this for about half of my tomatoes because it is so tiring!  I'm of the school that the seeds don't do that much damage to the flavor.  In fact, I'm reading more and more about just leaving them in!
Pour all of the tomato puree and juice into the big soup pot.
Add the basil, sugar, salt and pepper, and chicken broth.  Stir.
Cook on very low (with a sheet pan underneath the pot to prevent burning), for about 45 minutes.
Taste and add whatever you prefer.
Add the cream and heat up if you prefer cream of tomato soup.

I do not freeze this soup with the cream in it, but rather add the cream when I thaw out and heat up the soup.

About 3 - 4 cups of tomato soup in each of these containers . . . off to the freezer!

Homemade Fresh Tomato Soup

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Favorite Spicy Hot Chili For The Super Bowl!

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I haven't made chili this winter yet, so what could be more appropriate and suitable than a hot bowl of spicy hot home-made chili to eat while sitting in front of the tube watching The Super Bowl tonight?  Oh yes, there are other items on the party menu that I will post about later, but since it's February and winter, my hubby really begged for this chili.  The sun is shining brightly and the temperature is a spring-like 55 degrees, so it's not as though we needed some chili to warm up our innards, but rather to just keep with football game tradition!  This chili recipe is a combination of a variety of recipes that I have married together throughout the years.  It is though, fairly spicy in heat and includes three varieties of beans plus some corn.  We just love it and I hope that you enjoy it too.
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Favorite Spicy Hot Chili

4 Tbsp. olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, minced through a garlic press
2 - 3 cups finely chopped celery, including the leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 - 3 cans dark red kidney beans, drained, and rinsed
1 can of corn, drained
2 lbs. ground pork
4 - 5 lbs. ground lean ground round
1/2 can chopped jalapeno peppers . . . or better yet, 1/2 of one chopped fresh jalapeno pepper with seeds removed ~ ~ note that using the fresh option increases the level of heat (spiciness).
1/2 cup chili powder
1/3 cup cumin
2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 28-oz. cans peeled, whole or diced Italian tomatoes
3 6-oz. cans tomato paste
1 28-oz.  can tomato sauce
4 cups water
Louisiana Hot Sauce - - generously sprinkle as much as you like (and we like our chili HOT!)
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Garnish:  
Sour cream
Finely shredded 4-cheese Mexican cheese blend
Chopped green onion stems
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Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan.
Add the garlic, chopped onion, celery, and green pepper to saute'.
Add the pork and beef.  Cook while constantly stirring and breaking down the chunks of meat, cooking until the meat is browned nicely.
Add all of the spices and stir until well blended.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
Add the kidney beans.
Add the corn (really this is optional).
Add the jalapenos (use the amount you prefer for heat level).
Heat up the spiciness by adding Louisiana Hot Sauce, about 5 shots to begin with.
Adjust seasonings by adding more where desired, especially the cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes!
Cook on low heat for about an hour to allow all of the flavors to blend, adding more water if the chili becomes to thick.  Add a little water at a time until your preference of thickness is reached.
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Garnish with sour cream, Mexican cheese, and chopped green onion stems.
Serve with fresh cornbread and/or tortilla chips.
Also have small bowls of sour cream and Mexican cheese to pass around to your guests.
** This chili freezes very nicely too, since this is a big batch of chili!
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Minestra di Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Bean Soup)

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Last night my mother prepared a simple dinner for us:  one of the quintessential Northern Italian comfort foods that exemplifies "cucina povera" (poor food), and which is the infamous soup of the Tuscan people:  Minestra di Pasta e Fagioli, or Pasta and Beans Soup.  In Italy every family has their own treasured recipe for this soup and my family is no exception.  You can witness this mind-boggling diversity simply from reading recipes from other blogs, Italian cookbooks, or just from searching the Web for the recipe.  As the weather becomes somewhat cooler here in the South (it is 73 degrees today) and the evenings become a bit chilly the minute the sun is down, it seems just perfect to imitate the "bean lovers" (as Tuscans are called due to their love affair with the beautiful bean), by sipping this savory soup.  We lovingly call this soup "Pasta Fajool" (fa-zhool)!

My parents may not have enjoyed abundance when they were growing up as children of immigrants, but their mothers kept the kitchen aromas filling their homes, as pots of soups or pasta simmered slowly on the stove.  My father said they had Pasta e Fagioli soup nearly every night for dinner when my grandfather was a coal miner in the Midwest.

Nothing represents love and comfort as much as a simple, hearty warm soup and some bread to sop it up with!  Although this soup was considered the food of the poor, one certainly is never hungry after one full bowl; it is that satisfying.  Plus soup is so restorative to our health and our souls!
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Minestra di Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Bean Soup)

Olive oil (to saute the vegetables) *
5 stalks of celery, including leaves, cleaned with thick white end cut off, and then chopped *
1/2 cup chopped carrots (optional) *
1 onion, chopped *
1 big bunch of Italian parsley, cleaned, stems cut off, and chopped *
4 cloves garlic minced *
3 quarts water
1 6-oz. can tomato paste (add more until your desired level of 'red' color and tomato flavor is reached)
2 cans red kidney beans (I prefer dark red) ~ ~ if you use fresh beans, they must be soaked in water overnight (you can also use pinto beans or a white bean variety)
Pasta (in this case I used mini-farfalle), but often 'ditalini' pasta is used
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper.
Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
Fresh, crusty, artisanal Italian bread

*  These are known as "soffrito" or the 'fried' base of a soup, which can be made ahead and frozen.

If using dried beans, cover them completely with water in a pot and soak overnight.  Drain water the next day.
In a large, heavy 4 - 5 quart pot, saute the onion, carrots, and celery in the olive oil.
Add the parsley and garlic and saute for one more minute.
Fill the pot with the water.
Add the tomato paste/ tomatoes and bring to a boil.
Add the kidney beans, reduce the heat just slightly and cook until slightly tender.
Bring back to a boil and add the pasta noodles and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Serve in warmed bowls.
Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Serve with freshly, grated Parmigiano cheese and fresh bread.

THIS SOUP IS BETTER IF allowed to rest for 2 hours before serving; it thickens up nicely.  It is even better the NEXT day when all of the flavors are allowed to marry and blend!  If you choose to do this, don't put the pasta in until the soup is re-warmed and THEN boil your pasta for 7 minutes/until al dente.  If you have the pasta noodles in for a long time, they become very large from absorbing the soup liquid.
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I'm sharing this recipe with Chaya's "My Meatless Mondays", Alex and Heather's "Hearth and Soul", and Deb's "Souper Sunday"link-ups for this Thanksgiving week.


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Pastina Chicken Soup ~ ~ Italian Childhood Memories

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Here's a soup that is near and dear to my heart that evokes childhood memories of my mother's cooking. Made with homemade chicken broth, it is extremely easy to prepare and will warm not only your heart but also your children's hearts.  I say that this is easy with the caveat that simplicity comes after the broth is made.  My mother made her version of chicken noodle soup with homemade chicken broth and tiny, tiny little pasta shaped in the form of stars . . . known as 'pastina'.  This is also a recipe that is representative of the 'cucina povera' (poor food) that my relatives ate in the harsh environment of the Italian mountains in the 19th and 20th centuries prior to moving to America.

My family recipe for chicken broth (Brodo di Pollo) is posted on November 25, 2009.  You can click here for the recipe.

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Who doesn't like chicken noodle soup?  And what soup comes to mind the most when someone is a little under the weather and in need of some warm comfort food?  Chicken noodle soup is just a classic, traditional soup in our culture.
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Pastina in Chicken Broth (Pastina en Brodo di Pollo)

6 cups chicken broth (I make and freeze my own chicken broth, so I always have some on hand ~ recipe posted on 11/25/09, click here)
1 2-inch piece of Parmesan cheese rind
1 cup pastina (any tiny, tiny pasta shape)
2 cups diced cooked chicken, preferably breast meat (optional, my family does not include)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Giada used Romano, which is a nice cheese as well)
Sea salt to taste

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth (preferably home-made) and Parmesan rind to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the tiny pastina noodles and cook until the pasta is tender for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken if used, and heat through about 3 minutes.
Remove the Parmesan rind and discard.
Stir in 1/2 of the cheese.
Season with sea salt to taste.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, if desired.

Serve with warm, crusty Italian bread for sopping up any extra broth.
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Fontina & Asiago Grilled Cheese Panini & Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

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For those of you who live in parts of the country that have been getting hit hard with the Winter of 2010 blizzards, snow and ice storms . . . here's the perfect cozy-up lunch idea that I made last week when the weather rolled through the Carolina's. Here's a few photos of what we experienced that was just enough 'weather' to build a roaring fire in the fireplace and put my diet to the side for one day!

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Chicken Broth for Tortellini (Brodo di Pollo)

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and so today everyone across the States is stirring up their favorite dishes to serve to loved ones and guests with a sprinkle of love. For us, each holiday is time for our Italian-American family tradition: to prepare thousands of little tortellini by hand and make a home-made 'brodo' or broth in which to gently place the tortellini to swim seductively. This broth is served in the Italian region of my family, Emiglia-Romagna, where the recipe for it and tortellini have their beginnings.

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This is my family recipe that I'll share with each of you today for the broth; the recipe and the step-by-step instructions for the little tortellini pasta was posted in my archives this past winter on January 7th, 2009. Today I'll include the step-by-step procedure for the broth, which I didn't include last year.
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So let's get to the stove!

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Brodo di Pollo (Chicken Broth)
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Here's what you'll need to make the broth:
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One 6-pound chicken (hen)

1 package (beef) soup bones (if you can get them)
1 4-pound beef roast

3 carrots, cut in 3's

1 large onion, cut in 1/4's

3 celery stalks with leaves, cut into thirds

1/4 bunch of Italian parsley, chopped

salt

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Here's what you need to do to prepare the broth:

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Give that chicken a nice bath (clean it) and empty the contents of the cavity inside.

Cut up into large pieces so that it cooks a little bit faster than if you cook it whole.
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Cut up all of your veggies.

Cut your beef roast up into about 2 or 3 large sections.

Fill a LARGE deep pot half way full of water. Make sure that you have enough room from the top of the pot to put the rest of the ingredients in without overflowing the water.

Put all of the ingredients into the pot of water.
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I cut fresh Italian parsley from my garden just minutes before chopping it up and putting it into the pot.....it is fresh, fresh, fresh! (You can see the nearly bare trees behind the garden, the rosemary is next to the parsley, and there is STILL rhubarb growing to the right of the parsley!
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Oh my goodness, fresh Italian parsley in November! Seriously? What a surprise and JOY!
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PLOP. . . in goes that fresh parsley! Flavor up that broth now!
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Bring up the heat to high and get it to a low, rolling boil.

Immediately lower the heat and simmer until the beef is tender.

During this simmer, continually remove the junky stuff that rises to the top with a strainer.

The cooking on simmer and straining process takes about 2 - 3 hours.

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Take all of the ingredients out of the broth with a hand strainer.
With very thin tea towels covering a colander/strainer, pour the broth through them into another pot......this is a lot of work and usually needs two people to do this.

Be careful, the broth is very hot while you do this!

Continue to strain the broth into clean tea towels about two more times until the broth is completely clear and free of any ingredient remains.
Taste, add more salt to taste.
If you make this the night before, refrigerate it, and then the next day, skim off any fat/grease from the top (it will solidify in the frig and be very easy to remove).

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Afterwards, use this fresh broth for your any of your favorite recipes that call for chicken broth. Again, as I mentioned previously, we make this every holiday and add our home-made, hand-twisted tortellini to it).

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I send you all the kindest wishes on this American holiday of gratitude. You do not know how grateful I am for each of you loyal readers and all my new friends too! You have enhanced my life beyond words of expression. May God Bless each of you!

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Filling and Twisting the Tortellini !

After you have rolled your pasta through a "hand cranked" pasta machine (we use the Atlas brand) several times to your desired thickness, you then lay the delicate pasta down on a wooden surface (I recommend that you have on hand several different sizes of wooden cutting boards).

When you roll out a long strip of pasta, you have to cut it into two pieces to fit nicely on your wooden surface. To prevent the pasta dough from drying out while you make the tortellini, you need to DAMPEN a towel and lay it over the part of the dough that you are NOT working on (see below).

Begin to layout small little balls of the filling (about the size of a large pea or small bean) along the edge of the exposed pasta dough (don't worry if your dough is not perfectly straight).

After you completely lay out one line filling balls, take a sharp little knife and run into along UNDER the edge to loosen the dough from the wooden surface so it does not stick when you turn the edges over to cover the filling balls.

Roll the edge of the dough over the filling balls so that they are completely covered with dough.

Once you've overlapped all of the filling balls, take a sharp knife and cut about 1/4" from the edge of the balls (see above) to slice this section of the rest of the unused dough. With one finger, just press lightly down between each filling section.

With your sharp knife, cut each section of filling off the strip.


Then you're going to have these nice little UNFOLDED tortellini . . . notice that on the top side of the tortellini there is that 1/4" of extra dough sticking out.


Picking up one at a time, flip the 1/4" of extra dough over to seal in the filling, just as if you are closing an envelope flap. Wrap it around your finger and then press the edges to seal it into that beautiful "hat or cap" shape. I use my LITTLE 'pinky' finger, because my family prefers our tortellini to be smaller sized (they expand when cooked).

After twisting the tortellini, we lay them out on yet another wooden board in nice straight lines.

This is Papa's job, to lay them out in straight lines, and then to . . .

COUNT how many you have made. This is easy to do if your lines, both vertically and horizontally, are perfectly in line and then you just simply multiply the two outside vertical and horizontal lines. Papa then takes a piece of paper and writes down how many tortellini are on each board. Then you just set them aside in a safe place (we have cats and dogs!) and cover them with a towel if you need extra protection from the pets! You can either drop them in the brodo (broth) immediately, or allow them to dry overnight.

Like I said, watch the pets . . . here is our trusty Buckeye (W.D. is from Ohio!) and just waiting for a treat or for Papa to drop a tortellini !!!

The entire family (which includes our pets) gets involved with the process!

Finally, either fresh or dried, gently place them in the delicious chicken brodo that you made and boil them until they rise to the top . . . taste the tortellini to determine that the pasta is cooked "al dente", not soft! Also add some salt to the brodo to your preference level, it really enhances the flavor quite a bit.

Serve with FRESHLY GRATED PARMIGIANO cheese!

Bon Appetito!

~Bella

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