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Friday, November 21, 2008

Soup From The Garden


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.

4 comments:

  1. 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
    The greenhouse in TYRA'S GARDEN

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  2. 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.

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  3. Ah ...spigariello broccoli, hard to find seeds, is this the same Spigariello Liscia
    (Brassica oleracea)? (Johnny's seeds)/ Tyra

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  4. 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.

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