January is National Soup Month, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. But first, here's a quick primer on Italian soup vocabulary from The Italian Diabetes Cookbook:
In Italy, soups can be a light, elegant way to open an evening meal or large banquet. Some soup recipes in this book are thick and chock full of hearty beans, legumes, chestnuts, and pasta, while others are creamy, smooth purées that can take even leftover ingredients to new heights. Italian soups fall into three main categories—minestre, zuppe, and creme—and, in the Italian language, the correct terms are used to refer to each type of soup. For example, while Crema di Castagna, or Cream of Chestnut, would be called a soup in English, it would only be called a crema in Italian. Note that these three terms can end with either an “a” or an “e” depending on whether the term is singular or plural; ending in an “e” denotes the plural form of a feminine word in the Italian language.
Minestre
In Italy, a minestra is a thick soup made from a multitude of ingredients. The suffix “-one” on the end means that it is a “large or big” minestra, which explains why there are so many ingredients in minestrone.
Zuppe
A soup, in Italy, is something made from a clear stock–base with ingredients added to it. It’s a rather “loose” soup, where the ingredients are perceivable and separate from the stock. A vegetable soup or consommé-type soup would fall into this category.
Creme
A crema was traditionally a thicker, cream-based soup. It always has a creamy, puréed texture. Nowadays, a crema may omit the actual cream for health reasons, but it should still have a luxurious, velvety mouth feel.
1. Millecosedde/Italian Holiday Minestrone from Calabria
2. Chickpea Soup with Shrimp/ Crema di ceci con gamberi
Recipe from The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
The combination of homemade stock, chickpeas, and shrimp with
herbs make this soup sing! Chickpeas are a good source of protein,
calcium, phosphorous, potassium, and magnesium. Consider adding them to salads,
soups, pastas, rice, and couscous dishes the way people in the Mediterranean
region do to take advantage of their health benefits.
1/2 pound (225 g) shrimp, peels reserved and deveined
1 carrot
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 rib celery
Unrefined sea salt or salt
5 black peppercorns or ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
For Shrimp and Soup:
1 cup (171 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed, and
drained well, or 1 can (15 ounces or 425 g), drained and rinsed
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Unrefined sea salt or salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To Make Shrimp Stock: (This step can be done 1 day ahead)
Place the shrimp peels in a large stockpot with 8 cups (2 L) water, carrot,
onion, and celery. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim scum off the top of the
pot and carefully discard. Add 1 tablespoon (18 g) salt, peppercorns, and bay
leaf. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes and strain.
To Make Chickpea Soup:
Place the chickpeas in a large saucepan or stockpot with 6 cups (1.4 L) of seafood
stock and onion. Simmer, covered, on medium-low until the chickpeas are tender
(1 hour for dried chickpeas or about 5 minutes for canned).
Take off the heat and drain, reserving cooking liquid. Place the chickpeas
and the reserved liquid in blender. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
Blend well until a purée is formed.
Return the mixture to the pot. Taste, and adjust salt if necessary. If the soup
is too thick, stir in a few tablespoons of water. Stir and simmer on low heat
until ready to serve.
To make Shrimp:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the olive
oil begins to release its aroma, add the shrimp and rosemary, and salt to
taste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or just until the shrimp lose their gray
color, begin to turn bright pink and are cooked through.
If you don’t have time to make homemade shrimp stock, you can
substitute water or seafood stock in this recipe. You can also freeze the
shrimp shells to make stock at a later time. The stock can also be made ahead
of time and frozen in a plastic container for up to 1 month. To defrost, place
in a bowl in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Yield: 4 Servings
Mediterranean Tradition
I highly recommend making your own stock for this recipe because
it is delicious, easy, and a much more healthful alternative to sodium-laden
store-bought recipes. It also gives this recipe a light, clean taste.
3. White Bean and Tomato Soup/Zuppa di cannelini e
pomodoro
Recipe from The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook
4. Italian Asparagus Soup/Crema d'asparagi
5. Tuscan Lentil Soup/Zuppa di Lenticchie
Recipe from The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook
Even if you've never made soup from scratch before, I urge you to try. It's easier and much more satisfying than you might think. You'll save calories and money while eating healthfully. Still not convinced? Consider the following famous soup quotes:
"A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting."
Abraham Maslow
"I live on good soup, not on fine words"
Moliere
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