Episode #306 - Minestrone (Organic Vegetable Soup)
My mom used it quite often, but the pot she had always seemed to me very scary and unapproachable; you had to close it with a knob placed on top of the lid, and the valve was to it what a security pin is to a hand grenade. It used to scream whistles, twirl around and shake very fast...no pattern, absolutely random. All of us always expected to see those few ounces of metal pop out of the lid and fly to the moon, right trough the roof of the house.
I was allowed to use any kind of knife, but not that technological embarrassment that our cooker was. So, I never dared, until a few years ago, when Deb taught me how to cook her favorite pee soup, using a definitely better pot.
Just a few quick notes:
- Every pressure cooker is different. Different
brands usually have slightly different gauges, valves
and locking systems; please refer to the “user’s
manual”, before you get baptized...literally!
- If you would rather use a regular deep pot just
consider that the cooking time will be longer, more
than double...
- Be careful not to overcook! Pressure cookers are
great because they save a lot of time, but it is also
very easy to transform your chopped healthy goods
into a sludge...still a healthy sludge I guess...
- About Potatoes. They add a nice “starchy” feel to
the soup, and also really help achieving volume but,
when frozen and defrosted, their texture becomes
grainy (carbs always have a way to mess around with
you). So, if you intend to freeze your soup (like we
always do), do not use them...if you do, you can
still blend the soup after it is defrosted with a
mixer... still good.
The ingredients below take into consideration the
fact you will be cooking double servings for 4
people, and freeze half of your soup.
Let’s get cookin’!
MINESTRONE - ORGANIC
VEGETABLE SOUP
Serves: 4 + 4
Prep Time: 15
Cooking Time: Soffritto 25 min., Pressure Cooker ca
15 min. Regular pot ca 40 min.
Ingredients:
½ Red Onion
5 Cloves of Garlic
1 Handful of Parsley
2 Carrots
5 Celery stocks
Episode #203 - Pasta e Fagioli
Debi and I are finally back in Los Angeles, between the stove and the camera...very happy feeling.
Today we are unveiling you the secret of another very ancient and traditional dish: Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta in a thick Bean Soup).
Again, as we never will
get tired telling you, this is another family recipe,
everybody in Tuscany cooks it in their house, and
there are a lot of variations.
The one I learned to cook comes straight out of my
grandmother's kitchen: "Please don't tell your father
I suggested you use pork!", she said...
Don't worry Nonna, dad does not look at my recipes on
the web, our secret is well kept.....for the moment
at least.
Come in,
let's get cookin'!!!
Serves:
6
Prep time: 10 minutes (plus the time
to soak the beans)
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Lb Dark Kidney Beans
1 Lb Pork Ribs
¾ Lb of pasta (better if large, like rigatoni)
8 Cups of water
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 handfuls of Rosemary
8 Oz. Pelati
Salt, Pepper, Extra Virgin Olive oil
Preparation:
Rinse well the beans and Soak them
overnight.
Bring your 8 cups of water to a boil, add the beans,
stir well, and cook for about 40 minutes.
Broil the pork ribs in the oven. Season them with
some salt and pepper, cut them apart and lay them on
a large tray and put them in the oven…you should
settle for nothing less than a nice golden brown
crispy skin.