roasted carrot parsnip apple soup / zuppa di carote, pastinache e mela arrosto

March 31, 2026 | Simona

a bowl of roasted carrot and parsnip soup — earthy flavors blend in this nourishing soup
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the historical novel Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs.¹ The book narrates the story of cookbook writer Eliza Acton (1700-1859) and her assistant, Ann Kirby. I had not heard about Eliza Action and I thank Amy, our Club’s host, for selecting the book.

Abbs chose to tell the story alternating between Eliza’s and Ann’s perspective. Through Eliza, Abbs addresses the topics of marriage, motherhood, and the narrow options open to creative women at the time (Eliza is a poet and playwright), while through Ann, she addresses the narrow options open to poor people, particularly women, and also the care of patients with mental health problems.

The book does not include recipes (ricette) but Eliza’s main cookbook “Modern Cookery in All Its Branches” is accessible via the Library of Congress² (thank you, Amy, for searching for and finding it!) and makes for an interesting browsing. Eliza Acton liked precision in providing instructions. Her lasting contribution to cookery is the listing of ingredients (ingredienti) and their measured, exact quantities (at the end of the recipe, rather than the beginning, as is the current custom). She often adds “Obs.,” observations or comments to the recipe just detailed.

Each chapter of the novel includes a subtitle that references a dish. One of them inspired me, except I got it wrong. The reference was to turnips (rape) with butter, which somehow my brain registered as parsnips with butter. I then thought I hadn’t cooked parsnips in a while and went on my merry way developing a recipe with that root vegetable. Finding locally grown ones at the farmers market acted as an additional prompt. It was only when I was putting in order my notes that I realized my mistake.

4 farm-fresh parsnips and a red spring onion — young, tender parsnips are also photogenic
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Still, the inspiration came from the reading, so below I share my recipe for soup that uses roasted parsnips. They have a distinct, rather strong flavor, so I reached for their “cousins” carrots to balance it, then added an apple to round up the flavor profile. I also went for simplicity: the two root vegetables, apple (mela), red onion (cipolla rossa) and garlic (aglio) are roasted together before becoming soup ingredients. The result is a hearty soup that is particularly welcome when it feels like winter has no intention to leave yet.

Roasted Carrot, Parsnip and Apple Soup

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Resting time 30

Servings: 5

Course: Soup

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

12 ounces / 340 grams carrots
6 ounces / 170 grams parsnips choose young slender ones
6 ounces / 170 grams apple organic
4 ounces / 112 grams red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons / 22.5 ml extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves unpeeled
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup / 240 ml vegetable stock possibly homemade
2 1/2 cups / 600 ml water
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
toasted pumpkin seeds optional

Equipment

baking sheet
lidded pot

Method

Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface to remove a thin layer of skin. Halve the carrots lengthwise if they are thick. Chop the carrots into 1/2-inch / 1.25-cm pieces. Place the carrots in a mixing bowl.
Scrub the parsnips well and peel with a vegetable peeler. Halve the parsnips lengthwise if they are thick and core them. Chop the parsnips into 1/2-inch / 1.25-cm pieces. Add the parsnips to the carrots.
Dice the red onion. Add the onion to the root vegetables.
Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
Toss the vegetables with the olive oil then spread on the baking sheet in an even layer.
Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a corner of the baking sheet.
Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes.
Quarter and core the apple. Cut the apple into 1/2-inch / 1.25-cm slices.
Take the baking sheet out of the oven, remove the garlic cloves and let them cool slightly.
Stir the vegetables, add the apples slices, stir again, then put the baking sheet back into the oven.
Squeeze the pulp out of the garlic cloves. Discard the skin.
Roast the vegetables and apple for another 10 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and stir the vegetables.
Check the vegetables for doneness: carrots and parsnips pieces should be easily pierced with a blade. If necessary, put the baking sheet back into the oven for a few more minutes.
Warm up a soup pot on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the grated ginger.
Stir well and cook for 1 minute on medium-low heat, then add the spices and stir. Keep cooking for another minute until fragrant.
Transfer the roasted vegetables and apple into the pot. Stir well, then pour onto them the vegetable stock and water.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
Remove the pot from the heat, season with the salt and stir. Let the soup rest, covered, for 30 minutes, then purée it with an immersion blender. Add more water, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.
Making the soup at least a few hours before serving will allow it to rest and ripen.
When ready to eat, heat the soup and ladle it in bowls. Optionally sprinkle some toasted pumpkin seeds on the soup, then serve.

I am glad the Club’s selection prompted me to rediscover a root vegetable that, I believe, should be more popular than it is.

¹The book’s page on the author’s website
² Modern Cookery in All Its Branches by Miss Eliza Acton (on page 47 of the book [38/418 of the file], there are two recipes for turnip soup and one for carrot soup)

Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

Cook the Books logo This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Amy of Amy’s Cooking Adventures. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

onion and fava bean soup / zuppa di cipolle e fave

May 20, 2023 | Simona

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[versione in italiano]

simplicity at its best

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the novel Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus¹ which tells the story of Elizabeth Zott, a research chemist in California in the early 1960's, who becomes the host of a cooking show.

Rowing plays a role in the book, referred to mostly as a a source of physical discomfort, if not downright suffering. I thought I would balance out that perspective with a photo I took recently while rowing on Richardson Bay (an arm of San Francisco Bay). I captioned it: for this is why I row.

Based on the length of the library's waiting list, the book is popular. A light reading.

Besides dishes prepared during the show, there are others mentioned in the book: none sparked my imagination. On the other hand, this is the time of year when fresh fava beans are available and I enjoy bringing them into my kitchen. Most often I use them as an ingredient in salads², but a recipe for a soup in La Cucina, the Regional Cooking of Italy by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina³ caught my attention, as it uses another seasonal ingredient I enjoy: spring onions. After months of using storage onions, fresh, juicy spring ones are a pleasure to savor.

I cannot imagine Elizabeth Zott choosing this soup for a Supper at Six installment, though had she done so, she could have explained to her audience about favism⁴ (favismo) a severe reaction to consumption of fava beans that occurs in people affected by deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and could have expanded on the role enzymes play in chemical reactions. Once diagnosed, people affected by the genetic condition avoid ingesting fava beans.

ingredients for fava bean and onion soup / IMG_5133

two main ingredients plus a non-traditional one (for an Italian dish)
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

My rendition of this simple soup includes an ingredient I recently purchased from a local farmer⁵: a miso made with green lentils (lenticchie verdi) and aged for a bit more than three years. I have been adding it to various dishes and even to cookies.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Onion and fava bean soup

Ingredients:

1 pound / 450 grams fresh fava beans
1/2 pound / 8 ounces / 225 grams red spring onion
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups / 355 ml water, or as needed
3/4 tablespoon miso (see note below)
finely chopped chives for garnish, optional

Note: the miso⁶ I use is aged 3+ years, like red miso, but it is made using green lentils rather than soybeans. It has a relatively mellow flavor. I suggest using yellow miso first. Depending on your preference, you may then mix it with some red miso for a stronger flavor (or with white miso for a lighter one).

Shell the fava beans and blanch them for 30 seconds, then drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking.

Slit the skin with your thumbnail then pinch or twist to slip the bright green core out of its coat and into a small bowl. (You don't need to peel tiny fava beans, whose skin is quite thin.) Set aside.

Chop the spring onion.

Heat up the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and stir well to coat. Cook on low heat until the onion is soft, 6 minutes or so, stirring often.

Add the fava beans to the saucepan and stir well. Pour the water into the saucepan: the vegetables should be submerged, but visible just below the surface. (Add more water if necessary.) Cover the saucepan and bring the soup to a boil.

Cook the soup on low heat until the fava beans are soft, 25-30 minutes or as needed. Stir every now and then with a wooden spoon and mash some of the fava beans against the side of the saucepan.

Put the miso in a small cup. When the soup is almost ready, spoon some of the liquid into the cup and stir to blend. Pour the diluted miso into the soup and stir well.

Remove the soup from the heat. Serve hot, with some chives sprinkled on top, if desired.

Serves 2-3.

I love this soup: the spring onion gives it a fresh flavor, the fava beans make it earthy, miso adds umami and the result is satisfying,

¹ The book's page on the author's website
² From briciole's archive: Strawberry, fava bean, fennel and radish salad
³ The cookbook's page on the publisher's website
⁴ Favism
⁵ Palmer Creek Farm
⁶ Types of miso and their characteristics

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

zuppa di cipolle e fave

or launch the zuppa di cipolle e fave [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Debra of Eliot's Eats. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

soup, onion, fava beans, miso, Italian cuisine

[jump to Comments]

zuppa di cipolle e fave

zuppa semplice e ottima

Arrivati alla lettera F del nostro viaggio nel mondo degli ingredienti ho deciso subito che avrei preparato un piatto con le fave, che in questo momento sono di stagione. Mio padre le adorava e a tutti in famiglia piacevano crude, mangiate a fine pasto, semplicemente sbucciate e con un pochino di sale o, meglio ancora, del pecorino fresco.

Mia madre preparava anche la zuppa di fave: a me non piaceva per via delle bucce. In tutti i piatti che preparo con le fave il primo passo è quello di liberarle dalla loro buccia, previo breve sbollentamento.

i due ingredienti + uno non tradizionale (per un piatto italiano)
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

Ho trovato questa zuppa sul sito dell'Accademia Italiana della Cucina¹ che la colloca in Campania come regiode d'origine. La ricetta è brevissima e io l'ho personalizzata con l'utilizzo di un ingrediente non tradizionale, il miso, che in questo periodo sto usando molto perché ho trovato un produttore locale che mi ha ispirato.

Una nota riguardo al favismo: è una reazione all'ingestione di fave che può colpire persone affette da carenza dell'enzima glucosio-6-fosfato deidrogenasi (G6PD). Una volta diagnosticata la carenza enzimatica (che ha base genetica), queste persone evitano le fave.

Ingredienti:

450 grammi di fave fresche
225 grammi di cipolla novella rossa (cipollotto rosso)
2 cucchiai / 30 ml di olio extra-vergine di oliva
355 ml di acqua, o q.b.
3/4 cucchiaio di miso (vedi nota in basso)
erba cipollina tritata, facoltativa

Nota: il miso che utilizzo è maturato per oltre 3 anni, come il miso rosso, ma è fatto con lenticchie verdi invece che fagioli di soia. Non ha un sapore forte. Vi suggerisco di provare prima ad utlizzare il miso giallo. Se preferite un sapore più intenso, potete usare un mix di miso giallo e rosso. In generale, più il miso è scuro, più lungo è stato il periodo di fermentazione, più intenso è il sapore. Se non trovate il miso o non desiderate usarlo, potete fare lo stesso la zuppa e condirla con del sale fino.

Sgranate le fave e sbollentatele per 30 secondi, poi scolatele e tuffatele in acqua ghiacciata. Spellate le fave (a parte quelle proprio piccole, dalla pellicina fine) e mettetele da parte.

Tagliate finemente la cipolla.

In una pentola scaldate l'olio di oliva, aggiungete la cipolla e mescolate bene. Cuocere a fuoco dolce fino a quando la cipolla è tenera, circa 6 minuti, mescolando spesso.

Aggiungete le fave e mescolate bene. Versate l'acqua nella pentola: le verdure devono essere appena sommerse. (Aggiungete acqua se necessario.) Incoperchiate la pentola e portate ad ebollizione la zuppa.

Cuocete la zuppa a fuoco basso per 25-30 minuti o fino a quando le fave siano tenere. Mescolate la zuppa di tanto in tanto con un cucchiaio di legno e schiacciate alcune fave contro la parete della pentola.

Mettete il miso in una tazzina. Quando la zuppa è quasi pronta versare un po' del liquido nella tazzina e mescolate bene. Versate il miso diluito nella zuppa e mescolate bene.

Togliete la pentola dal fuoco. Servite la zuppa ben calda con, se volete, dell'erba cipollina tritata sparsa sulla superficie.

Porzioni: 2-3.

Questa zuppa mi piace molto: la cipolla novella le dà un sapore fresco, le fave un sapore rustico, il miso contribuisce umami e il risultato è ottimo.

¹ Ricetta sul sito dell'Accademia italiana della cucina

Contribuisco la mia zuppa di cipolle e fave dall'Italia alla lettera F di Un mondo d'ingredienti evento creato dall'instancabile Aiu' di Trattoria Muvara

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto gli articoli di lino gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarli sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

honeynut squash and red beet soup / zuppa di zucca e barbabietola rossa

January 18, 2022January 3, 2026 | Simona

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honeynut squash and red beet soup — festive colors and bright flavor

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Midnight Chicken by Ellen Risbridger¹, a cookbook with stories. The most exciting thing for me related to this book is that I was able to get the electronic version from the library (biblioteca). I am still not sure how I got the various pieces to work, but one day, I clicked on a link in an email and pretty soon I could open the book in my e-reader. I don’t think this is the best solution for cookbooks (seeing as the kitchen is not the best environment for electronics), but for reading it is great. I am already half-way into the second book I borrowed.

Risbridger talks about her life and about how cooking helped her in moments of particular difficulty. She is open about her mental health and her struggles. She lives in London and her shopping and cooking are influenced by the urban environment. She favors prepackaged vegetables, like cleaned and cut winter squash, and canned legumes and wonders who makes homemade puff pastry (I do). Her ingredients are British, like self-raising flour.

I was not inspired to make any of the recipes, but one of them reminded me that red beets are called beetroots in England and that inspired me to grab a beautiful bunch of them at the farmers market, with their glorious greens (foglie di barbabietola) still attached. In our household we LOVE beet greens so those disappeared fast. The book includes a recipe for Butternut squash mash, which reminded of a recipe I made some time ago that brings together those two ingredients into a bright soup that is just perfect for when the weather is gray and cold.

This time I used honeynut squash, a relatively new variety of winter squash² which I introduced in a post last year.³ Honeynut squash looks like a mini butternut squash: it has the same elongated shape, solid neck, bulbous end, but it is smaller, darker in color and sweeter in flavor. This year, a local farmer grew it, so I’ve been able to find it at the market. Given its small size, it is perfect for recipes where you don’t need a large squash.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Honeynut squash and red beet soup

Ingredients:

8 ounces / 225 grams red beets
18-20 ounces / 510-565 grams honeynut squash
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces / 170 grams red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon / 15 ml grated fresh ginger
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon hot paprika powder
1 cup / 240 ml chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade
2 cups / 475 ml water
1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

If you purchase a bunch of red beets with their greens, cut off the greens about 1 inch / 2.5 cm from the root and cook them as soon as possible like you would other types of dark leafy greens.

The honeynut squash and beets are roasted before being used in the soup. This step can be done in advance.

Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

Scrub the beets, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on the baking sheet.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (a grapefruit spoon works well to do this). Place the squash halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut side down.

Bake the squash until it’s tender enough to pierce easily with a blade, about 40 minutes.

Bake the red beets until easily pierced with a knife, an additional 20 minutes or so.

Let the squash cool then scrape the flesh off the skin with a spoon.

Let the red beets cool until easy to handle, then slip off the skin. Cube the beets and set them aside.

Warm up the olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat, then add the onion, stirring well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the ginger and stir. Cover and cook on gentle heat for another 8 minutes, until the onion is soft, stirring often. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin and hot paprika, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add the squash and the red beets to the pot, stir and add the broth and water. Bring the soup ring to a boil, covered, then turn down the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from heat. Season with the salt and stir. Let the soup rest, covered, for 15-30 minutes, then purée it with an immersion blender.

Making the soup at least a few hours before serving will allow it to rest and ripen.

When ready to eat, heat the soup, ladle it in bowls and serve immediately.

Serves 4-5.

I like the bright red color and the sweet and spicy flavor of this nourishing soup.

¹ An article with author’s interview on NPR
² Bon Appétit article on honeynut squash
³ My post and recipe for Honeynut squash, blue cheese and walnut bites

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

Cook the Books logo This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Debra of Eliot’s Eats. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

Souper Sundays logo I am contributing my soup also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books club co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

romanesco broccoli soup / zuppa di broccolo romanesco

January 12, 2021 | Simona

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comfort soup for winter evenings
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food From 31 Celebrated Writers, edited by Natalie Eve Garrett ¹, a collection of short pieces focused on food memories, some joyful, some painful, all interesting. Each writer shares a moment or an aspect of their life, describes the food associated with it and provides the recipe. It is a pleasant read, a reminder of our deep connection with food which crosses nationalities and cultures and brings us together as humans.

In the years I have been writing, I have described a number of personal comfort recipes. Seeing as winter is here and storms lash out at the Northern California coast, soup is the food that right now brings me most comfort. I am actually a year-round soup eater (as my recent post featuring tromboncino squash soup shows²), but in the winter months, soup becomes a constant. My mother would make minestrone fairly regularly but only rarely would she purée vegetables to make passato di verdure. I loved the latter, smooth and silky. It's a familiar story: we crave what is unusual, rarely tasted. I carried this hankering for smooth soups to adulthood and even now, the last step, when the immersion blender³ does its magic, is the most satisfying.

removing the color highlights the mesmerizing shape

The main ingredient of my current favorite soup is one of my favorite vegetables: Romanesco broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica). It's impossible not to be fascinated by this vegetable's shape, its geometric beauty. And it is not just pretty, it has also a great flavor, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, and slightly nutty.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Romanesco broccoli soup

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds / 20 ounces / 570 grams Romanesco broccoli (to yield a clean weight of 16 ounces / 450 grams)
3 tablespoons / 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces / 113 grams red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups / 355 ml chicken broth or stock, or vegetable broth [in which case the soup is vegan], possibly homemade, divided
2 1/2 cups / 590 ml water
3 tablespoons nut butter of choice, like walnut cashew butter⁵ or roasted almond butter
1/2-1 teaspoon fine sea salt, depending on salt content of other ingredients and to taste

Heat the oven to 400 F / 205 C. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

Cut the Romanesco broccoli into bite-sized florets. Peel the stalk and cut it crosswise into coins.

Place the Romanesco broccoli in a bowl and drizzle it with 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of the olive oil. Toss well to coat.

Spread the Romanesco broccoli in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and place it in the oven. Roast the Romanesco broccoli for 20-22 minutes, until just tender.

Warm up the remaining 2 tablespoons / 30 ml of olive oil in a pot. Add the onion and stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes on medium-low heat, then add the grated ginger and stir well. Cover the pot and cook on low heat until the onion is soft, stirring often.

Add the Romanesco broccoli to the pot, stir and after a minute pour 1 cup / 240 ml of the broth and the water into the pot. The liquid should barely cover the vegetables. Cover the pot, bring to a boil and cook on low heat until you can mash a floret of Romanesco broccoli with the back of a wooden spoon against the side of the pot.

Sprinkle the sea salt and stir. Let cool for 20-30 minutes, then purée with an immersion blender. Before you finish the processing, heat up the remaining broth in a mug and mix in the nut butter. Pour into the soup and process briefly to blend well. Taste and adjust salt. Add some water to make the soup reach desired consistency.

When ready to eat, heat the soup, ladle it in bowls and serve immediately.

Serves 4-5

¹ NPR interview with the book's editor
² My recent post on Tromboncino squash soup
³ Article on industrial designer Gabriel Lluelles the inventor of the immersion blender, (which in Italy is sometimes called a minipimer)
⁵ I love this company's nut butters

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zuppa di broccolo romanesco

or launch the zuppa di broccolo romanesco audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

And I am contributing my fruit salad also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books club co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

onion, Romanesco broccoli, soup, Italian cuisine

tromboncino squash soup / zuppa di zucchetta

September 23, 2020 | Simona

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creamy delight
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

In the year of COVID, in the summer (and now fall) of fires, I am clinging to cooking and reading to keep my balance. Among my to-read books, I recently chose a novel by the late Swedish author Henning Mankell (without Kurt Wallander² as protagonist): The Man from Beijing.¹ The book opens with a horrific mass murder in a remote Swedish village. Judge Birgitta Roslin, who is connected to some of the victims, gets involved the case, whose roots go back in time and space to the construction of the Pacific Railroad, which relied on the labor of, among others, Chinese workers. The novel travels also to Canton, Beijing, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Copenhagen and London.

The plot kept me interested until the end, yet I admit I missed Wallander, following his meticulous investigation and reasoning process to reach the solution. Roslin is not an investigator, yet she ends up discovering what happened, partly thanks to her determination, partly to chance. Mankell is not shy in criticizing his country and worries about its future. In The Man from Beijing such worries take a more international tone.

tromboncino squash ingredients / IMG_3445

the soup's trio of ingredients
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Tromboncino squash³ is a favorite summer squash (in Italian tromboncino literally means small trombone, the musical instrument). I get excited when I see it displayed on a table at the farmers' market or, as was the case earlier this year, at a farm stand⁴. Its long, curvy shape is eye-catching and its dense flesh and delicate, pleasant flavor make it a winner. Although it is harvested early and consumed as a summer squash, tromboncino squash does not belong to the Cucurbita pepo species like zucchini and other summer squashes, but rather to Cucurbita moschata, like butternut squash. Like its more famous relative, zucchetta has seeds only in the lower part of its body: the long neck is seedless.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Tromboncino squash soup

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pound / 20 ounces / 570 grams tromboncino squash
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
10 ounces / 280 grams sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon Ras el Hanout (spice mix)⁵
1/2 teaspoon Marrakech Moroccan mix⁵: substitute either or both mixes with spices of choice, but do not skip
1 cup / 240 ml chicken broth or stock, or vegetable broth [in which case the soup is vegan], possibly homemade
2 cups / 475 ml water, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
freshly grated cheese of choice, to taste

Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Cut the tromboncino squash into 1/2-inch / 1.25 cm thick slices and distribute them on a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the slices halfway through. Take the baking sheet out of the oven, let the squash slices cool slightly then transfer into a bowl.

Warm up the olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion and stir, turn down the heat and cook on low heat until the onion is soft, stirring often. Add the garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the spices on the onion and stir, add the tromboncino squash slices to the pot, pour the broth and water and stir.

Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Cook until you can smash the squash easily with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the salt, stir, turn off heat and let the soup rest for at least 15 minutes, then purée with an immersion blender. Add more water, as needed, to make the soup reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt to your taste.

When ready to eat, heat the soup, ladle it in bowls and sprinkle some cheese on top. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-5

Roasting the squash adds depth of flavor to this soup and the spices make it shine. I usually don't stop after the first bowl.

¹ The novel's page on the publisher's website
² My earlier Novel Food post featuring Kurt Wallander
³ Wikipedia entry on Tromboncino squash and an earlier post on this blog with another recipe for tromboncino squash and tomatoes
⁴ Sarvinski Family Farm (The Corn Crib)
⁵ The spice mixes I use: Ras el Hanout contains nutmeg, sea salt, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, mace, Chinese cinnamon, ground allspice, turmeric, saffron; Marrakech Moroccan mix contains cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, mace, white pepper, galangal, black and green cardamom, ginger, anise, allspice, rose petals, cloves, lavender, orris root, cayenne.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zuppa di zucchetta

or launch the zuppa di zucchetta audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the 40th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started 13 years ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

And I am contributing my fruit salad also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books club co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

onion, tromboncino squash, soup, Italian cuisine

slow-roasted heirloom tomato gazpacho / gazpacho di pomodori semisecchi al forno

September 14, 2016 | Simona

bright colors and flavors
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

A soup lover like me¹ was excited to get a copy of Soup Swap: Comforting Recipes to Make and Share² the new cookbook by Kathy Gunst³, Resident Chef for NPR's "Here and Now." If the idea of hosting or attending a Soup Swap Party sounds appealing is because it is: the book provides suggestions and tips for a successful event. Rest assured, though: you don't need to be planning a party to enjoy the book. Its recipes are dedicated to soup lovers of all sizes and flavors: they include vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options—besides making meat and fish lovers happy. And to complete the soup dinner, the book includes also recipes for side dishes.

FTC disclosure: I have received an advanced reading copy of Soup Swap: Comforting Recipes to Make and Share from the publisher⁴. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for discussing it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

I went back and forth a number of recipes, but then settled on Joe's Summer Garden Tomato Gazpacho for two reasons.

The first time I ate gazpacho, years ago, I liked it so much I reached for a second helping. Shortly after lunch, I boarded a boat and it did not end well for my digestive system. I decided the recipe was a clear indication it was time I overcame that negative association and made my own gazpacho.

The second reason had to do with the recipe headnote. The Joe of the title is Joe Yonan, Food and Dining editor of the Washington Post. He is quoted as stating "Unless you're roasting the tomatoes to concentrate their flavor, you may have to help them taste like themselves." He goes on to suggest adding a touch of vinegar and a little honey or sugar to the tomatoes "to bring out all their goodness." Of course, I thought: slow-roasted heirloom tomatoes will make a great base for gazpacho—no sweetener required.

beauties from Neukom Family Farm

My recipe for slow-roasted heirloom tomatoes is from two summers ago⁵. The tomatoes on the photos are from this summer crop.

before…
(Stainless Steel Slotted Serving Spoon from Zeroll)

Since I am making soup, I reduce slightly the amount of time I slow-roast the heirloom tomatoes with respect to what I usually do.

slow-roasted heirloom tomatoes / IMG_4904

and after four hours of slow roasting

The book arrived in time for me to make several batches of the gazpacho to adjust the recipe to my liking. In particular, I used shallot (scalogno) from my garden, roasted the pepper (peperone) and used my favorite varieties of cucumber (cetriolo). I also halved the amount of tomatoes, since I never made the recipe for a party.

pimento peppers (Round of Hungary) / IMG_4917

there is no such a thing as enough peppers (from Small Fruits farm)

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Slow-roasted heirloom tomato gazpacho

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil in a mister
3 pounds / 1.35 kg ripe heirloom tomatoes, preferably organic or pesticide-free
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 medium sweet red pepper (pimento or other variety)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
10 large basil leaves
1 shallot (1 1/2 ounces / 42 g), chopped
1 small cucumber (lemon or Boothby's blonde), peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon / 15 ml apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

How to slow-roast the tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 250 F / 120 C.

Generously spray with olive oil a 3 qt / 3 l / 13 x 9 x 2 inch / 33 x 23 x 5 cm glass baking dish (no lid necessary).

Wash, core and slice the tomatoes and distribute them evenly in the baking dish.

Bake the tomatoes for 4 hours, stirring a few times.

Take the dish out of the oven, add the salt and stir. (If you don't particularly like tomato skin, you can retrieve the pieces that naturally detach during the baking.)

Let the tomatoes cool and use immediately or store in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days.

How to roast the pepper
For efficiency's sake, you may want to roast a few peppers, use one for the gazpacho and the rest for other recipes⁶.

Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.

Place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or aluminum foil. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the peppers 90 or 180 degrees, depending on their width.

Roast for 15 more minutes, then turn the peppers. Repeat after 10 minutes. Continue roasting until they are ready, i.e., when the skin has turned dark and is detaching in places. (The time depends on the type and size of peppers.) Put the peppers in a lidded container or paper bag to steam, then peel off skin, discard stem and seeds, and the liquid they release. Set aside one to use in the gazpacho and chop it. Set aside the others until ready to use.

How to prepare the gazpacho
Place all the ingredients for the soup in a bowl and toss. Purée with an immersion blender until almost smooth. Add some water, as needed, to make the soup reach the desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Serves 4.

Gazpacho is served cold. I prefer it just cool. I also like it dense: the flavor of tomatoes goes right to my head.

The original recipe includes suggestions for garnishes, like chopped tomatoes or cucumbers or scallions. My version is minimalist.

so intense that a little goes a long way
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

One evening as I was preparing my version of quick parmigiana di melanzane, I ran out of my tomato sauce⁷ and decided to use some of my gazpacho: it worked perfectly!

My only problem is: how will I get my gazpacho fix once heirloom tomato season ends?

This post participate to the blog party organized by the Book Club Cookbook (Twitter – Facebook – Pinterest)

Check out the Soup Swap blog party page

I am contributing my soup also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen, who is also participating in the Soup Swap blog party.

This is the roundup of the event.

¹ My soup recipes
² The book's page on the publisher's site
³Kathy Gunst's website Instagram account and Soup Swap's Facebook page
⁴ Chronicle Books: Twitter • Facebook • Tumblr • Pinterest • Instagram
⁵ My post with the recipe for Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
⁶ My post with the recipe for Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Dip
⁷ One of my posts on handmade past which includes my recipe for Tomato Sauce

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

gazpacho di pomodori semisecchi al forno

or launch the gazpacho di pomodori semisecchi audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

FTC disclosure: I have received the linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). In conjunction with this event I have received a Stainless Steel Ladle and Stainless Steel Slotted Serving Spoon from Zeroll, and ProntoPro™ Diamond Hone® Knife Sharpener from Chef’sChoice. I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting these items on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. The stainless steel ladle and serving spoon are an elegant addition to my kitchen and table. The knife sharpener is precious: small and easy to use and clean, it's quickly become indispensable.

tomato, soup, heirloom tomato

arganak: Armenian chicken soup with meatballs / zuppa armena con polpette

March 9, 2016 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

soup with surprise (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The 25th country of our World Culinary ABC¹ is Armenia and the book I just finished reading is Still Writing by Dani Shapiro.² The two events are connected because the book made me want to cook a special soup for the author and the list of traditional Armenian soups made me choose arganak: “chicken soup with small meatballs, garnished before serving with beaten egg yolks, lemon juice, and parsley”³ (tuorli, succo di limone e prezzemolo). Sounds appealing, doesn’t it?

The title of the book was also appealing and the reading quite enjoyable. In a conversational tone that makes the reader feel s/he is having a pleasant conversation with a friend, Shapiro talks about her parents, early life, writing career and writing practice and encourages writers to be writers. A number of experiences Shapiro has had are similar to mine and that certainly made the book reach closer to my heart.

I have mixed feelings about advice on writing and hearing the words “you have to” makes my ears shut down like airplane doors prior to departure. Shapiro shares pieces of her personal journey, insights she’s gained and practices that have worked for her. She doesn’t impose her knowledge as ultimate: she invites the reader to be observant, mindful and compassionate on his/her own particular road.

As I snugged on the couch with the book and our cats, I had this image of me knocking on the front door of her house in the countryside, depositing a pot of soup on a chair next to it and leaving before she opened: a gift of comforting food from a fellow writer.

One recipe⁴ I found online for arganak was helpful in giving me a sense of what it is. The others were an example of what can happen when an automatic translator is trusted with a recipe. For example, one recipe⁵ starts with this instruction: “Wash the chicken, I even take off my skin.” Yikes! And another⁶ includes mysterious instructions like “The second bulb small to cut and fry on desi to transparency.” What?

making arganak (Armenian chicken soup with meatballs) / IMG_4401

What’s added to the broth: meatballs, lemon juice and egg yolks

My rendition is quite safe to make. I took some liberties, in particular in making the meatballs (polpette), but the fundamental structure of arganak is there.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for arganak

Ingredients for the meatballs:

1 tablespoon / 14 g butter
1 1/2 ounces / 42 g onion, minced
9 ounces / 250 g ground raw beef 85% lean, 15 % fat
3/4 ounce / 20 g smoked ham, minced
1 ounce / 30 g raw pork sausage meat
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 ounce / 15 g freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Ingredients for the soup:

4 cups / 950 ml chicken broth, possibly homemade; I use my homemade chicken stock/broth
2 large egg yolks from pastured poultry
Prepared meatballs
1 tablespoon / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt, to taste
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley as topping

If you make your own chicken broth, which I recommend, you need to do that the day before making arganak, so it has time to chill overnight in the refrigerator and you can defat it before using it.

Melt the butter in a small skillet and add the minced onion. Stir well and cook gently until the onion is soft, 10 minutes or so, stirring often.

Pour the egg yolks into a small bowl and whisk them lightly with a fork. (Later you will add some broth to the yolks, so choose a bowl that can accommodate more than just the yolks.) Set aside.

Place the remaining ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Note that the original recipe for the meatballs uses only beef and adds cooked rice. Due to family dietary requirements, I cannot use rice. Ham, sausage and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano are my contributions to the meatballs’ flavor profile.

When the onion is ready, add it to the meat and incorporate. With the help of a scale, divide the meat into 16 equal portions (or 20 if you prefer smaller meatballs or you want to serve 5 people) and press each into a small ball.

Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the meatballs into the boiling broth, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or so (less if you made 20 meatballs), until the meatballs are cooked through.

With a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the broth and place them in a bowl. Cover and keep them warm.

Keep the heat under the saucepan very low. Add the lemon juice to it and stir. Take half a ladleful of broth. With one hand very slowly add it to the egg yolks in a thin stream while whisking the mixture with the other hand. Repeat with another half ladleful of broth. Tempering the yolks prevent them from curdling when you add them to the broth.

With one hand very slowly add the diluted egg yolks in a thin stream to the broth while stirring the broth with the other hand. Do not boil the soup. Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary.

Put the meatballs back into the soup while you quickly gather the people around the table. Put 4 meatballs in each bowl, add 1 cup / 240 ml broth (less if you are making 5 portions) and finally sprinkle some chopped parsley on top. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-5

come on, dig in (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

This is a hearty soup, very low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fat. If you are not much into meatballs, you can skip that part altogether and follow the rest of the recipe to make lemon and egg soup.

¹ The World Culinary ABC kick-off post
² Still Writing by Dani Shapiro
³ wikipedia entry for Armenian cuisine: soups
⁴ Arganak recipe on Soviet Kitchen
⁵ Another arganak recipe
⁶ And another recipe (I actually think it is the same recipe, but a different automatic translator)

I contribute my soup to the 25th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 26 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. Y like Yerevan (Armenia) is hosted by Cristina of La cucina di Cristina.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

This is also my contribution to the 26th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started some time ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

I am contributing my soup also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

This post contains the contributions to the current edition of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the placemat free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zuppa armena con polpette

or launch the zuppa armena con polpette audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

soup, meatballs, chicken broth, egg yolk, lemon, Armenian cuisine

[jump to Comments]

arganak: zuppa armena con polpette

zuppa con sorpresa (tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

La venticinquesima tappa dell’Abbecedario culinario mondiale¹ è l’Armenia e per celebrarla ho scelto di preparare arganak: “zuppa di brodo di pollo con piccole polpette arricchita, prima di essere servita, con rossi d’uovo, succo di limone e prezzemolo.”² Descrizione appetitosa, non trovate?

Sono una delle ricette³ per arganak che ho trovato mi è stata utile per darmi un’idea di cosa fosse. Le altre sono un esemprio di quello che succede quando si affida una ricetta al traduttore automatico. Per esempio, una ricetta⁴ comincia con questa indicazione: Wash the chicken, I even take off my skin, che tradotto letteralmente vuol dire “lavate il pollo, io mi tolgo anche la pelle.” Una tortura! E un’altra ricetta⁵ contiene istruzioni misteriose come The second bulb small to cut and fry on desi to transparency, che non posso tradurre perché non ha senso.

Al brodo si aggiungono polpette, succo di limone e tuorli

Non vi preoccupate, la mia versione dell’arganak non è pericolosa da preparare. Le polpette le ho preparate un po’ a modo mio, ma la mia zuppa mantiene la struttura fondamentale dell’arganak.

Ingredienti per le polpette:

1 cucchiaio / 14 g burro
42 g cipolla tritata
250 g carne di manzo cruda macinata 85% magro, 15 % grasso
20 g prosciutto Praga (o prosciutto cotto) tritato
30 g pasta di salsiccia di suino cruda
1 cucchiaino sale fino<
1/8 cucchiaino pepe nero macinato fresco<
15 g Parmigiano-Reggiano grattugiato fresco

Ingredienti per la zuppa:

950 ml brodo di pollo, possibilmente fatto in casa
2 tuorli d’uovo codice 0
polpette preparate con gli ingredienti di cui sopra
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml succo di limone
sale fino, q.b.
prezzemolo fresco tritato finemente

Se preparate il brodo di pollo, cosa che raccomando, fatelo il giorno prima dell’arganak: fatelo raffreddare in frigorifero e rimuovete il grasso che si condensa in superficie prima di usarlo.

Far fondere il burro in una padellina e aggiungere la cipolla tritata. Mescolare bene e cuocere a fuoco dolce mescolando spesso, fino a quando la cipolla è morbida, circa 10 minuti.

Versare i tuorli in una ciotolina e sbatterli leggermente con una forchetta per romperli e mescolarli. (Più tardi aggiungerete del brodo ai tuorli, quindi la ciotola non deve essere piccolissima.) Mettere da parte.

Mettere gli altri ingredienti per le polpette in una ciotola e mescolare bene con una forchetta. Per fare le polpette la ricetta originale utilizza solo carne di manzo a cui si aggiunge del riso cotto. Io non posso usare il riso per ragioni di dieta familiare. Prosciutto, salsiccia, e Parmigiano-Reggiano grattugiato sono il mio personale contributo al sapore delle polpette.

Quando la cipolla è pronta, aggiungerla alla carne e mescolare per incorporarla. Con l’aiuto di una bilancia dividere la carne in 16 porzioni di peso uguale (o 20 se preferite polpette più piccole o desiderate fare 5 porzioni) e pressare ciascuna a formare una polpetta.

Versare il brodo in una pentola e portarlo a bollore. Aggiungere le polpette al brodo, coprire la pentola e cuocere per circa 10 minuti (un po’ di meno se avete fatto 20 polpette).

Con una schiumarola togliere le polpette dal brodo e metterle in una ciotola. Coprire e tenerle in caldo.

Tenere il brodo su calore bassissimo. Versare il succo di limone e mescolare. Prelevare mezzo mestolo di brodo. Con una mano versare il brodo a filo molto lentamente sui tuorli e allo stesso tempo mescolarli bene con l’altra mano. Ripetere l’operazione con un altro mezzo mestolo di brodo. Stemperare i tuorli evita che coagulino quando si aggiungono al brodo.

Con una mano versare i tuorli a filo molto lentamente nel brodo e allo stesso tempo mescolare il brodo con l’altra mano. Non far bollire la zuppa. Correggere il sale, se necessario.

Aggiungere le polpette alla zuppa mentre chiamate le persone a tavola. In ciascun piatto fondo mettere 4 polpette e una tazza (240 ml) di brodo (un po’ di meno se fate 5 porzioni) e infine spargere del prezzemolo tritato sulla superficie. Servire immediatamente.

Porzioni: 4-5

volete assaggiare? (tovaglietta di La FABBRICA del LINO)

Questa zuppa è sostanziosa, povera di carboidrati e ricca di proteine e grassi. Se non siete molto attirati dalle polpette, potete saltarle e seguire il resto della ricetta per preparare zuppa all’uovo e limone.

¹ Post inaugurale dell’Abbecedario culinario mondiale
² Cucina armena: zuppe (wikipedia, in inglese)
³ Ricetta per arganak sul sito Soviet Kitchen (in inglese)
⁴ Un’altra ricetta per arganak
⁵ E un’altra ricetta ancora (credo che di fatto sia la stessa ricetta resa da un traduttore automatico diverso)

Con la mia zuppa partecipo alla venticinquesima tappa dell’Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 26 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell’alfabeto come guida. Y come Yerevan (Armenia) è ospitata da Cristina di La cucina di Cristina.

La lista di ricette contribuite all’evento e lo slide show che le mostra.

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto la tovaglietta gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarlo sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

sweet potato (kumara) and winter squash soup / zuppa di patata dolce (kumara) e zucca

January 31, 2016 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

sweet potato squash and carrot soup / DSC_7801

an inviting bowl of soup
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The 23rd country of our World Culinary ABC¹ is New Zealand (Nuova Zelanda), a country we visited 11 years ago. I have a trunkful of great memories from the trip and only a thimbleful of space here, so the following is just a taste (assaggio).

Karekare², the beach made famous by the movie The Piano (North Island).

We kayaked in many places, including the Kenepuru Sound (one of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island)

and Lake Manapouri⁴ (South Island).

The Penguin Place Conservation Reserve⁵ (Otago Peninsula, South Island) allow visitors a close encounter with the bandit-looking yellow-eyed penguins⁶ (pinguini) that come ashore in the late afternoon after their day's work fishing off the coast.

A system of covered trenches allows people to observe the penguins' progress from the beach to their nests without obstructing it.

On Pilots Beach (Otago Peninsula) we watched blue penguins⁷ come ashore, but as that happened after dark and flash photography is not allowed, I don't have any images. The morning after, we kayaked to the beach and our guide found a penguin hanging out in the grass, so I was able to take a photo.

To celebrate New Zealand, I chose to make a soup showcasing kumara, that is, sweet potato⁸, an important crop for the Maori. I read a number of recipes from Kiwi sites⁹ and came up with a personal version using local vegetables like winter squash and carrots (zucca e carote).

making kumara soup

I made this soup a number of times and we loved it from the very first: it is creamy and flavorful, and its lovely orange color is guaranteed to cheer you up no matter how gray the sky is. As winter squash I used small-sized butternut squash I found at the farmers' market, but any other variety you have available will work. Roasting all the vegetables beforehand deepens the flavor of the soup: it is an additional step but quite worth the time.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Sweet potato and winter squash soup

Ingredients:

1 pound 2 ounces / 500 g sweet potato
1 pound / 450 g winter squash, like a mini butternut squash or half of a larger squash
7 ounces / 200 g carrots
10.5 ounces / 300 g onion
2 tablespoons / 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic
1 inch / 2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger
1 teaspoon / 5 ml ground cumin
1 teaspoon / 5 ml ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 cups / 475 ml chicken or vegetable stock/broth, possibly homemade
3 cups / 710 ml water
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (depending on how salty the broth is)
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley as topping, optional

How to prepare the vegetables
Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Prepare a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat.

Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small cubes. Place in a large bowl.

Cut the winter squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (a grapefruit spoon is my preferred tool for this task). Place on the baking sheet, cut side down.

Scrub carrots well and scrape surface to remove the thin skin. Cut each into bite-sized pieces and place in the bowl with the sweet potato.

Halve the onion, cut each half crosswise into 1/4 inch / 6 mm thick slices, and place in the bowl with the sweet potato.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of olive oil on the vegetables and mix well to coat (your hands are the best tool for this step).

Spread the vegetables evenly on the same baking sheet with the squash and place in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes and stir the chopped vegetables. Bake for another 10 minutes. (If after the first 30 minutes, some of the onion slices are turning too dark, transfer the cut vegetables to a bowl and continue baking only the squash.)

Let cool until you can handle the squash: scrape the flesh off the skin (again using a grapefruit spoon if you have it).

How to cook the soup
Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.

Warm up the remaining 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat. Add garlic and stir well. Turn down the heat to medium-low and after 30 seconds add the ginger and stir well. After another 30 seconds, transfer into the pot the cut vegetables and the squash. Sprinkle the 3 spices then stir well.

Pour the liquids into the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the soup cook for 30 minutes, then test to make sure that: 1) a cube of sweet potato can be mashed with the back of your wooden spoon against the side of the pot, and 2) a piece of carrot can be easily cut in half with a knife. Cook soup longer, as needed.

Remove from the heat and let the soup rest for 15 minutes, then purée with an immersion blender. Add more water, if needed, to make the soup reach the desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

I like to prepare soups ahead of time, so flavors have a chance to blend. If you do the same, reheat it and serve hot, optionally sprinkling some parsley on top.

Serves 6-8

¹ The World Culinary ABC kick-off post
²Karekare
³ The Piano
⁴ Lake Manapouri
⁵ Penguin Place Conservation Reserve
⁶ Yellow-eyed penguin
⁷ Blue penguin
⁸ Sweet potato
⁹ One recipe, another recipe and another recipe

I contribute my soup to the 23rd installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 26 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. W like Wellington (New Zealand) is hosted by Monia of Gata da plar.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zuppa di patata dolce e zucca

or launch the zuppa di patata dolce e zucca audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

sweet potato, soup , winter squash, carrots

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zuppa di patata dolce e zucca

una zuppa invitante
(tovaglietta de La FABBRICA del LINO)

La ventitreesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale¹ è la Nuova Zelanda, paese che abbiamo visitato 11 anni fa. Ho un baule pieno di bei ricordi di quel viaggio, ma qui ho spazio solo per un assaggio.

Karekare, la spiaggia resa famosa dal film Lezioni di Piano²(North Island).

Abbiamo visitato diversi luoghi in kayak, compresi il Kenepuru Sound (uno dei Marlborough Sounds nella South Island)

e Lake Manapouri (South Island).

La Penguin Place Conservation Reserve³ (Otago Peninsula, South Island) permette ai visitatori di osservare i pinguini dagli occhi gialli⁴ che tornano a riva al termine di una giornata trascorsa a pescare al largo.

Un sistema di trincee coperte permette ai visitatori di osservare a distanza ravvicinata l'avanzata dei pinguini dalla spiaggia ai loro nidi senza disturbarli.

Alla Pilots Beach (Otago Peninsula) abbiamo visto tornare a riva i pinguini blu, ma dal momento che era buio e l'uso del flash è proibito, non ho immagini di quell'esperienza emozionante. La mattina dopo la nostra guida ha trovato un pinguino tra l'erba e ho potuto fargli una foto.

Per celebrare la Nuova Zelanda ho scelto di preparare una zuppa utilizzando kumara, cioè la patata dolce, tubero importante per i Maori. Ho letto un po' di ricette⁵ su siti kiwi e ho creato una versione personale con anche zucca e carote, verdure di stagione.

fasi di preparazione della zuppa

Ho preparato questa zuppa diverse volte ed è stato amore a primo assaggio: è cremosa, saporita ed ha un colore che rallegra. Come zucca ho usato delle mini butternut che ho trovato al farmers' market, ma zucca di un altro tipo va bene. Arrostire le verdure prima di fare la zuppa rende il sapore più complesso.

Ingredienti:

500 g patata dolce
450 g zucca (per esempio una mini butternut o metà di una zucca più grossa)
200 g carrote
300 g cipolla
2 cucchiai / 30 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva, diviso
2 spicchi d'aglio
2,5 cm radice di zenzero fresco
1 cucchiaino / 5 ml cumino in polvere
1 cucchiaino / 5 ml coriandolo in polvere
1/4 cucchiaino paprika dolce
475 ml brodo di pollo o vegetable, possibilmente fatto in casa
710 ml acqua
sale fino e pepe macinato fresco, q.b. (a seconda di quanto salato è il brodo)
prezzemolo tritato, facoltativo

Preparare le verdure
Scaldare il forno a 190 C. Preparare una placca da forno foderata con un tappetino di silicone per forno.

Pelare la patata dolce e tagliarla a cubetti. Metterli in un'insalatiera.

Tagliare a metà per lungo la zucca e rimuovere i semi (un cucchiaino da pompelmo è utilissimo sia per pulire la zucca che per rimuovere la polpe dalla buccia dopo la cottura). Porre la zucca con la parte tagliata in basso sulla placca da forno.

Lavare bene le carote e raschiarne la superficie con una lama per rimuovere la pellicina. Tagliarle a pezzi di un paio di cm e aggiungerli alla patata dolce.

Tagliare la cipolla a metà per lungo, poi tagliare ciascun pezzo a fettine di mezzo cm e aggiungerle alla patata dolce.

Spruzzare un cucchiaio / 15 ml dell'olio d'oliva sulle verdure e mescolare bene (le vostre mani sono il miglior attrezzo per questo passaggio).

Distribuire le verdure sulla placca con la zucca e infornare.

Cuocere per 30 minuti e mescolare le verdure a pezzi. Cuocere per altri 10 minuti. (Se dopo i primi 30 minuti qualche fettina di cipolla sta diventando troppo scura, trasferire le verdure a pezzi in un'insalatiera e continuare a cuocere solo la zucca.)

Far intiepidire fino a quando potete maneggiare la zucca e rimuoverne la polpa dalla buccia.

Preparare la zuppa
Tritare l'aglio e grattugiare lo zenzero.

Scaldare l'altro cucchiaio d'olio di oliva in una pentola da zuppa, poi aggiungere l'aglio e mescolare bene. Dopo 30 secondi aggiungere lo zenzero e mescolare. Dopo altri 30 secondi aggiungere le verdure arrosto e la zucca. Distribuire le 3 spezie e mescolare.

Versare nella pentola i due liquidi, mettere il coperchio e portare a bollore, poi abbassare il calore e far cuocere dolcemente per 30 minuti. Fate le seguenti prove: 1) un cubetto di patata dolce si schiaccia facilmente col dorso del cucchiaio di legno contro la parete della pentola; 2) un pezzo di carota si taglia facilmente a metà con un coltello. Se necessario, cuocere la zuppa più a lungo.

Rimuovere la pentola dal fuoco e far riposare la zuppa per 15 minuti, poi usare il frullatore a immersione. Aggiungere acqua, a piacere, fino ad ottenere la consistenza desiderata. Correggere sale e pepe a seconda del vostro gusto.

Di solito preparo le zuppe in anticipo, in modo che i sapori abbiano tempo per amalgamarsi. Se fate lo stesso, riscaldate la zuppa e servitela ben calda, magari con sopra un pochino di prezzemolo tritato.

Porzioni: 6-8

¹ Post inaugurale dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale
² Lezioni di piano
³ Penguin Place Conservation Reserve (in inglese)
⁴ Pinguini dagli occhi gialli
⁵ Una ricetta, un'altra ricetta e ancora un'altra ricetta (tutte in inglese)

Con la mia zuppa partecipo alla ventitreesima tappa dell'Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 26 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell'alfabeto come guida. W come Wellington (Nuova Zelanda) è ospitata da Monia di Gata da plar.

La lista di ricette contribuite all'evento e lo slide show che le mostra.

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto la tovaglietta gratuitamente dall'azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentarlo sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

crozets

December 1, 2015 | Simona

done with cutting crozets

For me, the current selection of our Cook the Books Club, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais, was a movie before it was a novel. Ten minutes into it, I started fidgeting. Five minutes later, my husband and I agreed it was not worth watching further. Nothing happened in that quarter of an hour to make us wonder what would happen next.

With that history, I approached the book with caution and was pleasantly surprised. It is much better than the movie, at least until the midpoint: the story, the characters (particularly the protagonist's mother) and the descriptions are interesting and enjoyable. At the scene in the chapel my suspension of disbelief shattered, then the novel became another story of apprenticeship in the kitchen.

The book has a lot of dishes in it, but what intrigued me was the location of the French village where the protagonist's family moves, the Jura, so I did some research on French mountain cuisine and read about crozets, a type of pasta typical of Savoie (which is south of Jura) traditionally made "from wheat flour, buckwheat or a mixture of both."¹

pretty speckled dough

The dry version of this pasta can be purchased in boxes. It comes in three varieties: plain, with buckwheat flour and with mushrooms.²Differently from pizzoccheri, the famous pasta made with buckwheat flour (farina di grano saraceno) typical of Valtellina (Italy), crozets contain eggs. Also, the crozet dough I made has less buckwheat flour than the dough I make for pizzoccheri. I followed the ratio of 2 parts wheat flour to 1 part buckwheat flour that Clotilde Dusoulier has in her recipe for Buckwheat Pasta Dough³ and, as usual, I made a small batch, using one egg (un uovo di pasta).

As you can see from the photo, the dough was quite pretty, of a pastel yellow and speckled, thanks to stone-ground buckwheat flour. Traditionally this pasta is used to make gratins and I was planning to do something along those lines, but an unwelcome cold requiring chicken soup therapy for my husband sent the crozets into hot chicken broth. My version of crozets combined the richness of egg with the rustic texture of stone-ground buckwheat flour. They were a great company to the pieces of chicken that enriched the soup.

Printer-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Crozets

Ingredients for the pasta dough:

55 g all-purpose flour, plus more, as needed, to obtain a firm dough
25 g buckwheat flour, possibly stone-ground
A pinch of salt
one 55 g egg, possibly from pastured poultry

Ingredients for the soup:

3 cups / 700 ml chicken⁴ or vegetable broth, homemade or, if store-bought, organic
1 batch crozets
7 ounces / 200 g cooked chicken, diced
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)

Make crozets
On the working surface or in a bowl, create a well with the flours and salt and crack the egg directly into it. Scramble the egg with a fork. Draw flour from the sides of the well into the center, mixing well with the egg.

Trade the fork for your fingertips. Draw flour until a soft dough forms. If you started in a bowl, empty it on the working surface and scrape its side and bottom well.

Starts kneading the dough: push the dough away from you with their heel of your hand (given the small size of the dough, one hand will be enough), then with the help of the other hand gather it back toward you folding it on itself and turning it 90 degrees. Add a bit more flour (5 grams or so) to obtain a soft, non-sticky dough. Continue kneading in the same way.

Knead the dough until it is smooth, 8-10 minutes. Let the dough rest for an hour or so (at least half an hour), well covered (e.g., in a small ziplock bag or wrapped in plastic film) so it doesn't dry out.

Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, flatten both with a rolling pin and then roll by hand or with a pasta machine. This is a fairly thick pasta, so I stop at the last but two notch of my pasta machine. Sprinkle the dough with all-purpose flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Sprinkle the dough with a bit of all-purpose flour, then cut each piece into 1/4-inch / 6 mm wide strips (basically, tagliatelle) with the machine attachment or by hand. In the latter case, fold a 3-inch strip of pasta lengthwise away from you. Continue folding the strip until the entire pasta sheet is folded into a flattened roll. With a sharp knife, cut across the flattened roll. Immediately unfold the cut strips, then line them up and cut them across into 1/4-inch / 6 mm wide squares. (I do this with my bench scraper rather than a knife.)

cutting crozets

Sprinkle the crozets with flour and run your fingers through them (see top photo) to ensure that they are well separated and don't stick together.

Continue until you cut all the dough, kneading and rolling again cutouts as needed.

Make the soup
Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan and add the crozets. Cook until tender (the time needed depends on how dry they are). In the meantime, if the chicken is cold, warm it up in the microwave. Once the pasta is cooked, add the chicken to the soup and stir. Take the saucepan off the heat.

Ladle the soup into bowls and optionally sprinkle a bit of Parmigiano-Reggiano on it. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4

comforting

Thanks to the book, I went on a journey of discovery and am pleased to have found crozets. (I suspect you will read more about this pasta soon.)

¹ A Savory Savoie Tradition: Crozets
² Crozets — A Savoie Pasta
³ Buckwheat Pasta Dough recipe in Clotilde Dusoulier's The French Market Cookbook
⁴ My post on my chicken stock/broth

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

crozets

or launch the crozets audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

pasta, soup, buckwheat flour, chicken, French cuisine

zuppa di spinaci / spinach soup

April 12, 2015 | Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

a soup bright in color and flavor (cranberry-flax ciabatta by Beck’s Bakery,
linen napkin from La FABBRICA del LINO)

The ninth stop of our World Culinary ABC¹ is Egypt (Egitto). My original plan was to make ful medames² again, this time using the traditional small fava beans, which I found in a newly discovered store in the Bay Area. Then two things happened: 1) I read about Moloukhiya³ soup, and 2) my spring CSA share at Redwood Roots Farm⁴ started.

This soup features the leaves of a type of jute (Corchorus olitorius) and is traditional not only of Egypt but also of other countries in the Middle East and Africa. According to wikipedia, moloukhiya “is rather bitter, and when boiled, the resulting liquid is a thick, highly mucilaginous broth.”

One of the recipes I read⁵ states that spinach or chard can be used instead of the original moloukhiya leaves. Freshly harvested spinach leaves were part of my CSA share, so the decision was easy to make. The soup I made pays homage to the tradition, but is not traditional. In particular, the broth is not thick.

fresh spinach from Redwood Roots Farm chopped and ready for the pot

Among the many recipes I read, the one that inspired me most was the simplest one⁶, in part because it resonated with my minimalist style and in part because I had the freshest spinach on hand and wanted to make their flavor speak for itself.

The soup comes together in a matter of minutes and it sparkles in terms of both color and flavor (colore e sapore). It is nutritious, yet light. In between CSA shares, I made it once with a mix of other leafy greens, mostly from my vegetable patch: rainbow chard, Red Russian kale and collard greens. I liked the result (takes a bit longer to cook), but prefer the spinach version.

fragrant garlic (aglio)

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Spinach soup

Ingredients:

12 ounces / 340 g fresh spinach leaves
4 cups / 1 quart / 950 ml chicken broth, possibly homemade; better yet a blend of chicken broth and stock; I use my homemade chicken broth/stock⁷
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Wash spinach leaves carefully, drain and chop.

In the meantime, bring the broth to a boil in a soup pot. Drop the spinach leaves into the broth and stir. Cover the pot, bring the soup back to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes or so. Taste the spinach: it should melt in your mouth. Cook longer if necessary. When ready, remove from the heat.

When the soup is almost ready, warm up the olive oil in a small skillet. Add a pinch of fine sea salt to the minced garlic and work it a bit more with the blade to make almost a paste. Drop the garlic in the hot oil and stir well. Cook on gentle heat until the garlic is golden and fragrant, stirring frequently.

Pour two ladlefuls of soup into the hot skillet. It will sizzle. Stir a couple of times and pour the soup back into the pot. Repeat this step, stirring well so all the olive oil and garlic mixes with the soup.

Taste and adjust salt. (I don’t give a specific amount because it depends on how salty the broth/stock is.)

Ladle into prepared bowls, squeeze a bit of lemon juice into each and stir briefly. Serve with lightly toasted, thinly sliced bread or pita. (Serendipitously, the day I made the soup the first time, I brought home some cranberry-flax ciabatta from Beck’s Bakery⁸: they make a pretty pair, as the top photo shows.)

Serves 4-5.

¹ The World Culinary ABC kick-off post.
² My post on ful medames.
³ Mulukhiyah or Moloukhiya or Molokhia, etc.
⁴ Redwood Roots Farm
⁵ Moloukhia soup recipe
⁶ Molokhia soup recipe
⁷ Details in this post
⁸ Beck’s Bakery

FTC disclosure: I have received the linen napkin free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting the product on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

I contribute my spinach soup to the 9th installment of the Abbecedario culinario mondiale (World Culinary ABC), an event organized by Trattoria MuVarA that will bring us to visit 27 countries of the world using the alphabet as guide. I like Il Cairo (Egypt) is hosted by Terry of Crumpets & Co.

The list of recipes contributed to the event and their slide show.

I am contributing my soup also to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

zuppa di spinaci

or launch the zuppa di spinaci audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

spinach, soup, Egyptian cuisine

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zuppa di spinaci

una zuppa dal colore e sapore brillanti (ciabatta con cranberry e semi di lino di Beck’s Bakery, tovagliolo di lino de La FABBRICA del LINO)

La nona tappa dell’Abbecedario culinario mondiale¹ è l’Egitto. Il mio progetto originale era quello di rifare ful medames² usando stavolta le fave piccole tradizionali che ho trovato in un negozio scoperto da poco nella Bay Area. Poi sono successe due cose: 1) ho letto delle note sulla zuppa di Molokhia³ e 2) ho cominciato a ricevere la mia cassettina primaverile presso Redwood Roots Farm.

Per fare questa zuppa, che è tradizionale non solo in Egitto ma anche in altri paesi del Medio Oriente e dell’Africa, si utilizzano le foglie di un tipo di juta (Corchorus olitorius). Secondo wikipedia, la molokhia “è puttosto amara e quando viene bollita il brodo è denso e mucillaginoso.”

Una delle ricette che ho letto⁴ sostiene che si possono usare spinaci o bietola come sostituti delle foglie di molokhia. Dal momento che nella mia cassettina c’erano spinaci da taglio freschi, decidere di provare è stato semplice. La zuppa che ho preparato io fa omaggio alla tradizione, ma non è tradizionale. In particolare, il brodo non è denso.

spinaci da taglio freschi (Redwood Roots Farm) tagliati

Tra le molte ricette che ho letto quella che mi ha ispirato maggiormente è quella più semplice⁵, in parte perché concorda col mio stile minimalista e in parte perché avevo degli spianci da taglio freschissimi e volevo far risaltare il loro sapore naturale.

La zuppa, nutriente e leggera, si prepara in pochi minuti e brilla sia in colore che in sapore. Tra una cassettina e la successiva, ho fatto la zuppa con un misto di altre verdure, la maggior parte dal mio orticello: bietola colorata, cavolo riccio Red Russian e collard greens (un tipo di Brassica che non credo esista in Italia). Il risultato (che richiede un tempo più lungo di cottura) mi è piaciuto, ma preferisco la versione con gli spinaci.

aglio fragrante

Ingredienti:

340 g spinaci da taglio freschi
950 ml brodo di pollo, possibilmente fatto in casa⁶
1 cucchiaio / 15 ml olio extra-vergine di oliva
2 cucchiaio di aglio tritato
Sale marino fino, q.b.
Succo fresco di limone

Lavare bene gli spinaci, scolare e tagliare grossolanamente.

Nel frattempo portare a bollore il brodo in una pentola da zuppa. Tuffare gli spinaci nel brodo e mescolare. Coprire la pentola, portare a bollore leggero e cuocere per 3 minuti. Assaggiare gli spinaci: dovrebbero essere ben teneri. Cuocere un po’ più a lung, se necessario. Togliere dal calore.

Quando la zuppa è quasi pronta, scaldare l’olio in una padellina. Aggiungere un pizzico di sale all’aglio tritato e lavorare ancora un po’ con il coltello per formare quasi una pasta. Versare l’aglio nell’olio caldo e mescolare bene. Cuocere su fuoco gentile fino a quando l’aglio sia biondo e fragrante, mescolando spesso.

Versare un paio di mestoli di zuppa nel padelllino: sfrigolerà un po’. Mescolare brevemente e poi versare la zuppa di nuovo nella pentola. Ripetere questo passaggio e mescolare bene in modo che tutto l’aglio e l’olio siano incorporati nella zuppa.

Assaggiare e correggere il sale. (Non specifico una quantità perché dipende da quanto sia salato il brodo.)

Versare la zuppa in piatti fondi, aggiungere una spruzzata di succo di limone su ogni porzione e mescolare brevemente. Servire la zuppa con fettine fine di pane tostate o pita.

Porzioni: 4-5.

¹ Post inaugurale dell’Abbecedario culinario mondiale.
² Il mio post su ful medames (in inglese).
³ Mulukhiyah o Moloukhiya o Molokhia, etc. (wikipedia, in inglese)
⁴ Ricetta di Moloukhia soup (in inglese)
⁵ Ricetta di Molokhia soup (in inglese)
⁶ Dettagli in questo post (in inglese)

FTC disclosure: Ho ricevuto il tovagliolo di lino gratuitamente dall’azienda produttrice (la FABBRICA del LINO). Non ho ricevuto e non riceverò alcun compenso per presentare il prodotto sul mio blog. Le opinioni espresse nel post sono interamente personali.

Con questa ricetta partecipo alla nona tappa dell’Abbecedario culinario mondiale, un evento organizzato dalla Trattoria MuVarA che ci porterà a visitare 27 paesi del mondo usando le lettere dell’alfabeto come guida. I like Il Cairo (Egitto) è ospitata da Terry di Crumpets & Co.

La lista di ricette contribuite all’evento e lo slide show che le mostra.