Most of yesterday's harvest was the basis for last night's soup. I picked the first Spigariello broccoli, the last of the "Kermit" eggplant, probably the last of the "Carmello" tomatoes, the first "Atitlan" snow peas, some "Aromato" basil, a couple of "Argentina" chiles, and the last of the ripe piquillo peppers.
So the soup started with sweet onions browned in a little pancetta fat (I can't bear to waste any yummy Boccalone stuff) a fresh bay leaf and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme. Then a huge clove of Tochliavri garlic, minced (yikes, I'm running out already). I chopped up the Spigariello and threw it into the pot and then a quart of good home made chicken broth. The tomates and eggplant, and a sweet red pepper picked previously were chopped and added. Added a few cups of water. Everything brought to a boil and then simmered for a bit.
Soup in Progress
Just before serving I sliced the snow peas and added them to the pot. Then some shredded duck confit and some brown jasmine rice that I had cooked on the side (1/2 cup rice to 1 1/2 cups water) went in. A touch of salt and fresh ground black pepper. To serve, sprinkle with some chopped basil and a drizzle of McEvoy's Olio Nuovo (get it now!). A complete meal in a bowl.
Hi Michelle that looks VERY nice, I'm a big fan of all kinds of soups. What are those lovely looking blueish green leaves? They look veru interesting and I have met them before. / Tyra
ReplyDeleteThe greenhouse in TYRA'S GARDEN
Tyra, that's the spigariello broccoli. It will form tiny broccoli-like heads if you let it grow more, but it's grown primarily for the greens. It is used like kale or rapini. It was delicious in the soup.
ReplyDeleteAh ...spigariello broccoli, hard to find seeds, is this the same Spigariello Liscia
ReplyDelete(Brassica oleracea)? (Johnny's seeds)/ Tyra
It looks like the same Spigariello, the foglia liscia. I purchased my seeds from Seeds of Italy (see my seed sources on the right). The seed grower (on the package) is Gianfranco Fuscello.
ReplyDelete