May 13 – May 19, 2024

Andrew Barbara, me, Billy at CCFS dinner – previous week

Monday:                  Lamb Hash with Heirloom Tomato Mozzarella Crostini

Tuesday:                  Dirty Martini Chicken Thighs con Arroz

Wednesday:          Green Ribollito Soup

Thursday:                Duo’s Taqueria

Friday:                      Dinner with the Tim and Hilda and Susan and Rich at the PFC (First Hole, above)

Saturday:                Roasted Fennel and Sausage Pizza

Sunday:                   Grilled Ribs Spare Ribs with Cole Slaw and Steve Raichlen’s Killer Barbecue Baked Beans

Soup in Spring

Some soups are just asking for a punch in the nose.  You know the ones I mean – the ones where you keep reaching for the salt and pepper, the ones that make you happy to leave the table just to get away from the sanctimoniousness that so many meatless dishes have absorbed from that most condescending of all eaters, the vegetarian.  What I’m trying to say is that if you’re looking for consommé of dandelion greens or pea fronds simmered in low sodium water from the rain forest, don’t come knocking at my door. 

And yet, I consider myself a lover of soup, regardless of whether it contains some life-sustaining protein or not.  After all, I can always grab a slice of salami from the refrigerator after SWMBO has headed up to bed.  But the soups I favor (other than tomato soup with grilled cheese) tend to be so substantial and hearty that you could feed them to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The recipe we’re sharing this week is for just such a soup.  We cooked it among a run of dinners that was delicious and hilarious (the fine night we spent with Tim and Hilda and Rich and Susan dining at the PFC), and fascinating (the dinner at Duo’s Taqueria among the hip), and comfortable and lively and literate (the night when Andrew and Murph came out for ribs, coleslaw and baked beans – Murph, a mutt of indeterminate breed from the streets of Memphis, happens to be a fan of the 19^th century British novel, holding Austen, Thackeray and Dickens in high esteem and even sharing my quirky taste for Trollope).

And the Dirty Martini chicken thighs were great in spite of their horrible name, as was the fennel and sausage pizza .  But the standout of the week was a new twist on ribollita (the hearty Tuscan vegetable and bread soup) that has won a spot in our permanent rotation.  The trick to flavoring this soup, as with all good soups, is building layers of flavor by sautéing vegetables and tempering spices and tasting and tasting and tasting for seasoning.  But this soup added a final twist – an unusual pesto to color the soup as well as flavor it.  When you make this, you might want to put the soup pot in the middle of the table with a ladle so that people can help themselves to seconds and thirds.  You will not need that late night salami, if you eat this soup.

GREEN RIBOLLITA

(adapted from bon appétit, May 2024)

Timing:                                                                       50 minutes

Ingredients:                                                           Serves 4 – 6

1 bunch kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely torn (you should have about 2 ½ cups – more won’t hurt – and I like to chop up the smaller ribs and add them to the leaves)

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks coarsely copped

1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 15 oz. can white beans, drained

1 small loaf country-style bread (8 oz.), torn into ¾” pieces (about 2 ½ cups)

8 garlic cloves thinly sliced, divided.  We used 2 cloves, cooking the first with the kale and the second with other vegetables.  The recipe calls for using half with the kale and half with the other vegetables.

4 cups vegetable broth – we used chicken broth.  In my opinion, vegetable broth is essentially weird tasting water.  If you use it, you’ll find yourself adding extra salt and other spices to make your soup taste like something or, actually, just something other than the vegetable broth.

3 cups water

1 parmesan rind (optional) – you could toss in 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan for taste

½ tsp ground cumin

1 ½  tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp. butter

Finely grated Parmesan for serving

Prep:

Chop the vegetables and slice the garlic and measure out the broth.  You can tear up the bread while the soup simmers.

Cook:

   Make the Pesto

Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a Dutch Oven over medium-high.  Turn down to medium and add the kale and half of the garlic (or, as we did, one clove, thinly sliced) and season with salt.  Cook stirring until slightly softened and garlic is golden brown – less than 2 minutes.

Add 2 Tbsp. of water and cook, stirring often, until water evaporates, and kale is slightly wilted – 2 minutes or so (you can turn the heat up if the water is not evaporating).

Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender, add 1 cup of the broth to the blender and purée.   Set aside.

  Make the Soup

Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high or a bit lower.  Add the celery, carrot, onion, cumin and remaining garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are slightly softened – about 7 minutes.  Add the parmesan (if using), the beans, 1 ½ tsp. of kosher salt, the remaining 3 cups of broth and 3 cups of water and increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and simmer until slightly reduced – 15 minutes or a bit more.

Now add the torn bread, the butter and the purée and cook, stirring, until butter is melted – about 2 ½ minutes.  Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and serve with finely grated parmesan.