The Little Bookroom
recently published the second in what I hope is a long series of Italian cookbooks
containing recipes from the kitchen of the American Academy in Rome (AAR). I
wrote about the series’ first book Biscotti
[2010] by Mona Talbott and Mirella Misenti (here). The second book entitled Zuppe [2012] by Mona Talbott equals the
outstanding Biscotti. Featuring seasonal
soups served at the AAR, Zuppe educates
and inspires; it is a fantastic cookbook.
Talbott organizes Zuppe’s fifty recipes into sections that
focus on the produce and ingredients available in Rome during the four seasons.
The first section presents recipes for autumn, which is when the new AAR
Fellows begin their studies. One particular recipe in this chapter exemplifies
what makes Italian cooking and Talbott’s Zuppe
so exciting: the straightforward use of seasonal ingredients. The recipe for Minestra di Patate e Finocchio (Potato
and Fennel Soup) couldn’t be simpler: sweat onions and fennel in olive oil; add
potatoes and stock; season and simmer. The resulting soup tastes clean,
comforting and delicious.
Most of Zuppe’s recipes contain only a handful
of ingredients. Simple dishes often need high-quality ingredients to achieve the
best results. The AAR receives outstanding local produce from Giovanni
Bernabei, an organic farmer located just south of Rome. (Signore Bernabei’s portrait in the AAR’s
kitchen speaks to his role in the Academy’s Rome Sustainable Food Project.) Although
a few ingredients in Zuppe might prove
a challenge to source (e.g., dried cicerchie
or grass peas), Talbott provides easily obtainable alternatives (in the case of
cicerchie, use dried chickpeas). Otherwise,
creating these Roman-inspired soups in the US shouldn’t pose a problem,
especially if you have access to a local farmer’s market or even a good grocer.
To celebrate Zuppe’s arrival, here’s the complete recipe
for Talbott’s Minestra di Patate e
Finocchio. The soup serves 4 to 6.
- 1.5 kg / 3 lb potatoes
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 2 large bulbs fennel
- 90 ml / 3 fl oz olive oil
- 3 litres / 3 quarts chicken stock
- Salt
- Grana Padano
- Black Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Peel and cut the potatoes
into 1-cm / ¾-inch cubes and store in cold water until you are ready to use
them.
Cut the onion into small
dice. Peel, de-germ and roughly chop the garlic. Remove fronds from the fennel
and set aside. Chop each fennel bulb into four wedges, then cut each wedge into
5-mm / ¼-inch slices.
Sweat the onion, garlic
and fennel in 90-ml / 3 fl oz of olive oil in a 6-litre / 6-quart stockpot over
a medium heat until tender. Add the potatoes and chicken stock; season with a
generous pinch of salt. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer
for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and beginning to
collapse.
Chop a large handful of
the fennel fronds you have saved and add to the finished soup. Re-season with
salt if necessary.
Serve with extra virgin
olive oil, grated Grana Padano and freshly ground black pepper.
A few notes and comments. In
Mediterranean climates, fennel’s season runs from spring to fall. When buying
fennel, look for a firm, heavy bulb. Trim the base and cut off the top where
the stalks enter the blub. Generally you will need to remove a layer or two
from the bulb before sectioning and slicing the fennel.
Grana Padano often
substitutes for Parmigiano-Reggiano as a cheese grated over soups and pastas. Compared
to the more expensive Parmigiano-Reggiano, it tastes mild and delicate. Grana
Padano may be difficult to find in parts of the US unless you have access to
good cheese shop. (Bay Area readers: Berkeley Bowl West carries it.) If you
cannot find Grana Padano, don’t hesitate to use Parmigiano-Reggiano.
