Simple Cook ing

ISSUE NO. 84 FIVE DOLLARS Hanging Out at Mister Minestrone the No-Name A Diner Story (with Recipes) The Story So Far: On a run-down part of Water Street sits There are...dozens of versions of minestrone, which is a a tiny, brightly painted, nameless diner. Alec, our nar- really solid soup thick with vegetables and cheese and rice ra tor, who owns a used-book store in the row of Victorian or pasta and intended, with bread and wine, to constitute commercial buildings that loom beside it, has gradually the entire midday meal of hungry working people. become a regular, getting to know the Professor—the burly, — The London Sunday Times (March 29, 1959) bearded proprietor and grill cook—and Greg—the Gen-X In America, “minestrone” is just a fancy name for vegetable waitron-busboy-dishwasher. In the last episode, Alec and soup. We buy it in cans. We fi nd it offered as the soup of his wife, Jo, neither of them cooks, fretted over what to the day in coffee shops.... Around here, it isn’t a dish, serve the Professor, who, with his daughter, Jess, has been it’s a cliché. In Italy, on the other hand, and especially in Liguria, it’s not just a dish but an eagerly appreciated invited to their house for supper. Tonight is that night. one—a celebration of the season. —Colman Andrews, FLAVORS OF THE RIVIERA T SIX-THIRTY SHARP the doorbell rang. With Sasha wrig- Agling frantically between my legs, I opened the door Y MOTHER MOVED this January to a retirement com- and ushered in the Professor, who, in a heavy maroon munity on the coast of Maine, and I stayed a bit parka well-dusted with snow, looked a bit like a sardonic Mafterwards to help her settle in. Each member Santa. Jess turned out to be taller than I had expected, is required to attend several dinners a month in the with bright-dyed orange hair showing black roots, an common dining room, and one of my major tasks was to earring in one nostril, and a charming smile. She stooped accompany her when she went the fi rst time. To do so, down to greet Sasha and was immediately subjected to however, meant making a reservation the day before, and a wild bout of face licking. what with one thing and another we didn’t get around to As I showed them where to hang their coats, the this until two days before I planned to leave. Professor produced two bottles. “Vino rosso,” he said as Soon after she moved in, I went to the main I took them. “Dug from the depths of my wine cellar.” building to pick up a copy of the menu for the week. “Dad!” said Jess. “How about grabbed off the My mother had heard that the place was known for the discount shelf at Green Street Wine and Liquor?” quality of its meals, and, on the menu at least, several The Professor was unfazed. “That shelf is my seemed quite inviting to me—except, of course, the one wine cellar,” he said. “In fact, in this town, it’s just about being served the night we would be eating there. On that everybody’s wine cellar.” evening, diners were offered a choice between moussaka We had progressed to the kitchen, where I had and pasta alla puttanesca. As it happens, I like both these been busy when the doorbell rang. (Jo, as usual, had just dishes, but it seemed to me rather unlikely that the chef at gotten out of the shower and was frantically getting dressed a Maine retirement community would manage simultane- upstairs.) I led them over to the counter where I was fi nish- ously to cater to cautious palates and imbue these dishes ing up my big contribution to the meal. with enough gusto to bring them to life. ❁ ❁ ❁ It is beyond my powers to convey the full experi- ence of the meal, starting with our entry into the huge NOW, NEARLY EVERYONE, no matter how resistant to cooking dining hall. It proved to be nearly empty, except for two they may be, encounters at least one prepared edible in or three large tables occupied by various cliques of very life that forces them through that barrier as if shot from elderly folk (my mother, at eighty-one, seemed positively a cannon. For me, this item was garlic bread. I loved it; I young in comparison), who obviously dined there every craved it; and yet, made by other people, it always seemed night. They were being served by a two-person waitstaff, to promise more than it delivered. The dizzy-making smell one male, one female, both in their teens. of bread and garlic heating in the oven, the anticipation I had imagined a room full of lively chatter, but concluded on page 6 this place, despite the bright lights, was crepuscular, even slightly creepy. We had been told to expect to join—to even lots of ingredients, while others interpret it as signifying that be welcomed by—another couple at a table for four, and the soup is meant to be a meal in itself. Italy is a country not being gifted at small talk I had rehearsed a few con- of hearty soups, so neither distinction takes us very far. versational gambits. A waste of time: there were no such Depending on where you look, you can fi nd support for couples, and we were led to an empty table for two, with either camp; the Waverley Root quote is unique in put- no one making any attempt to intercept us. ting the lie to both at once. Not only was his minestrone My mother did try to strike up a conversation conspicuously restrained in the number of ingredients, it with a solitary woman waiting for the rest of her party at was far from providing a meal. Before it, Root enjoyed an a nearby table, who not only responded pleasantly but appetizer of bianchetti (fried baby anchovies) and, after it, offered to lead us to the closet where we were meant to feasted on cappon magro (a rather overwhelming composed hang our coats. This exchange gained a certain poignancy dish of seafood and vegetables), plus dessert. when she repeated the offer three more times before her When push comes to shove, “minestrone” is—as companions arrived—as well as reintroducing herself and Anne Bianchi honestly admits in FROM THE T ABLES OF T USCAN asking our names again each time she did so. WOMEN—“a rather nebulous term....” Or, put another way, Meanwhile, Tiffany, our waitperson, had begun it is one of any number of dishes that Italians know when to bring our food. What appeared to be blueberry scones they see...cook...eat, and are content to leave at that. If turned out instead to be full of bits of olive and onion— anything, the word suggests something special—a soup tasty enough for me to later ask for a second round. As raised by some culinary magic to a higher power. As Col- a starter, my mother had ordered the “toss salad.” I, less man Andrews writes in FLAVORS OF THE RIVIERA, trustingly, had chosen the minestrone. (We both ordered In Genoa and vicinity, a particularly well-made minestrone, the moussaka.) In this, my mother made the better bet; with an abundance of ingredients—the kind one might although drenched in dressing, the salad was composed of make to honor a guest, for instance—is sometimes called mixed baby greens, with no iceberg in sight. On the other “Signor Minestrone,” or, in Genoese dialect, “Scignore hand, the minestrone was, well, minestrone...which, in my Menestron.” In local slang, a menestron is also a gourmet experience, might be defi ned by the absence of anything or connoisseur. you really like in a soup, with the remaining lackluster This means that the foreign cook who wants to ingredients boiled down to mush. master the art of minestrone in its largest form will fi rst As it turned out, attendance at dinner that have to learn the secrets of many different regional cooks, evening was unusually low (abetting my suspicion that since each part of Italy goes about preparing it in its own those who ate there by choice knew what was coming signature way. This was obviously beyond my scope, and, and opted out). My mother has been back since in other truth to tell, my ambition, so I decided to exit the fray company, and her spirits have been considerably lifted waving a white fl ag, and content myself with fi nding a from where they were when we made our way back to few minestrone recipes that (a) were to my taste, (b) had her cottage. But I found that I couldn’t get the taste of a manageable list of ingredients, and (c) offered a range of that minestrone out of my mouth. It was, if anything, perspectives on what makes a soup a minestrone. as good as any version I had sampled before, but that With this in mind, I turned fi rst to Pellegrino was pretty small praise. What was it about this soup Artusi’s great classic of Italian cooking SCIENCE IN THE that I don’t get? Or, to put it another way, was there an KITCHEN & THE A RT OF E ATING WELL, first published in 1891. authentic way of making it that I might actually like? Artusi concludes the introduction to his minestrone recipe by stating that he had spent some time polishing it to perfection, and the text that follows after is lengthy enough to give Minestronesome idea how he did so.*

The next dish was the Genoese variety of minestrone with [SERVES 6] pesto. When pesto is served with minestrone, it is added 2 quarts homemade beef or chicken broth at the last moment, fl oated on a soup the Genoese prefer to be thick. The minestrone I had at Da Mario [a popular 2 ounces (a heaping 1/2 cup) dried white beans, preferably Genoese restaurant] contained peas, potatoes, oil, garlic, cannellini or carponi di sartocchio (see page 7), rinsed well a little onion and a few herbs. and soaked in water overnight —Waverley Root, THE COOKING OF ITALY (1968) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil OU MIGHT THINK that life is too short to spend much 2 tablespoons chopped pancetta or fatty prosciutto time trying to fi nd appealing versions of dishes 1 large garlic clove, minced you don’t especially like—and, if you do, you’ll Y several large sprigs fl at-leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped get no argument from me. However, quite apart from my suspicions regarding the salad, I had ordered the 1 celery stalk, 2 peeled carrots, 2 small or 1 medium zuc- minestrone that night because the soup was already chini, 2 peeled potatoes, and 1 peeled onion, all cut into bite-size pieces on my mind. In the past several years, Matt and I have grown very attached to certain Italian bean dishes (see, 1/2 head Savoy cabbage, 1 bunch Swiss chard, and 1 bunch for instance, the essay “Beans in a Flask” in our last (or 12-ounce bag) spinach, all rinsed carefully book, POT ON THE FIRE), and minestrone was, in my mind, *I worked out my version of his recipe using (but greatly augment- rightly or wrongly, one of the classic Italian bean soups. ing) the differing versions in the recent English editions of Artusi’s I had meant to pursue that impression, but without this book—one by Kyle M. Phillips III and the other by Murtha Baca and Stephen Sartarelli (see my review of both books in SC•59)—as well negative prodding I might never have done so. Off to the as consulting the original Italian text from the 1891 edition, in the bookshelves I went...and, as is often the case, returned form of a PDF document that can be downloaded without charge at more perplexed than before. HTTP://WWW.PELLEGRINOARTUSI.IT/LA_CUCINA_ARTUSIANA.HTM. Roughly translated, “minestrone” becomes “big soup,” which some food writers take to mean that it has page two 1/4 cup tomato sauce OR 1 tablespoon tomato paste these components could be left out. But gradually we salt and black pepper to taste came to understand that each did do something, even if we couldn’t easily put our fi nger on it. What follows is a thick slice of pancetta OR lardo (see page 7), optional my best attempt at explaining this. 1 cup arborio rice Imagine a bright spring morning. There are birds freshly grated Parmesan cheese chirping, insects buzzing, leaves rustling, children shout- • THREE HOURS BEFORE PREPARING THE MINESTRONE, add the beans ing at a distant playground. The scent of new vegetation and the meat broth to a large soup pot and bring to a boil. is in the air, slightly astringent rather than fl owery, but Cook at a gentle boil for about 10 minutes, skimming away very pleasing, nonetheless. and discarding any scum. Then cover the pot, reduce the If you were preoccupied, you might hardly notice heat so its contents remain at a simmer, and cook the beans until they are tender but still fi rm. Taste them oc- any of this except maybe the warmth of the sun, that casionally, since cooking time will depend on the type of it was a “nice day.” But pause and pay attention and a bean and their age. Then use a slotted spoon to remove quiet pleasure unfolds, one that has a depth you were the beans from the pot. If preparing the rest of the soup previously oblivious to, a harmony composed of many directly, leave the broth at a simmer; otherwise, bring it now identifi able parts. Few of these could be said to be back to one when you continue. essential, many could be replaced by something else • WHEN IT IS TIME TO MAKE THE SOUP, heat the olive oil in a large much like them, but each adds to the totality in its own skillet. When it is hot, add the prosciutto, the garlic, and unique way. the parsley. Sauté until the garlic is translucent, then turn the contents of the skillet into the broth, along with the This is exactly how a minestrone works. Each as- chopped celery, carrot, potato, zucchini, and onion. pect of it is rather delicate, and the main goal of the cook • While this cooks, slice the Savoy cabbage, Swiss chard, is to let all the parts shine through. At fi rst I noticed only and spinach leaves into shreds and fi nely chop the chard how delicious the soup’s broth was, a sort of essence of and spinach stems. Add all this to a thick-bottomed stock vegetableness, thickened lightly with bean pulp, potato, pot, cover, and set over high heat just long enough for the and rice. Then I realized how good the different vegetables leaves to wilt and release most of their liquid. Turn out were, that piece of cabbage or carrot, that slip of chard the contents into a large sieve, pressing with the back of or spinach. Each was itself but carried with it some of its a wooden spoon to squeeze them as dry as possible. Add this mass to the broth as well, along with the reserved conversation with all the others. This is why Artusi can beans and the tomato sauce or tomato paste. (Artusi ob- encourage his readers to “feel completely free to adapt serves that here some cooks add a piece of cured or salt this recipe to the tastes of your own part of Italy, using pork to enhance the minestrone’s body and fl avor. Do so whatever vegetables are at hand.” if you wish.) Like the components of our imaginary spring day, • Season to taste with salt and pepper, undersalting a the possibilities of any particular minestrone always exceed little since the soup needs less than it might immediately what we fi nally decide to put in it—even, with tact, things seem. Stir in the arborio rice (making sure it all gets that don’t immediately seem to belong. Just as a fl urry of down into the broth) and simmer until the rice is tender. snowfl akes is not unknown in May, so can some winter Finally, remove the pot from the heat and let the soup sit squash fi nd its way into a minestrone made mostly of fresh uncovered for at least 15 minutes before serving—min- estrone should never be eaten piping hot. Put the grated spring vegetables. The important thing here is to attend to Parmesan in a small bowl on the table so that each eater Nika Hazelton’s injunction in THE REGIONAL ITALIAN KITCHEN: can stir it in to taste. Contrary to common American belief, a minestrone is not just a catchall for every available vegetable but a ☛ COOK’S NOTES. Made just as detailed above, this soup is wonderful. Still, surrendering to my own instincts, I adapt- mixture of judiciously balanced ones. ed it as follows. I used a quart of homemade chicken broth Another important characteristic of minestrone is and made up the other quart with the bean-cooking water that, because the soup is built around no special ingre- (2 cups) and the liquid squeezed from the greens (2 cups). dient—beef, say, or chicken or meatballs or shrimp—no I also sautéed the chopped onion along with the garlic in spoonful is more to be treasured than another. When I the olive oil. Finally, I added the chopped cabbage directly to the skillet, wilting only the other two greens and waiting fi nally sat down to the real thing, I found myself facing to add these until the last 10 minutes of cooking. goodness that didn’t urge me to gobble it right down. Instead, I ate slowly, happily, and with great satisfaction, Usually, when I like a soup it is because it has all the way to the bottom of the bowl. an intensity or depth of fl avor that belies its diluted na- ture. A good crab bisque is an example of what I mean minestrone myths by intensity: so much of the fl avor of that crustacean lies in parts of it that are diffi cult or impossible to eat but #1 “THERE IS ONE INVIOLATE INGREDIENT—PARMIGIANO-REGGI- ANO RIND.” ~ This wretched bit of Italian parsimony that a soup can extract and, it often seems, heighten. A came about because (a) the rind does, after long simmering, good minestrone falls in the other category: soups with eventually dissolve and (b) there’s nothing else you can do unusual depth. Even before we sat down to table I had with it (except the one thing you should do—throw it away). a hint of this when, at the stove, I tasted it for salt. For With Parmesan, the closer to the rind you get, the more the once, I couldn’t tell if it needed salt or not (true, a little fl avor diminishes. The rind itself, which is simply dried-out had been used to make the stock, but no more than a cheese, is nearly tasteless and does nothing for the soup that a generous grating of the cheese itself can’t do better. teaspoon). I did add some, another teaspoon to the whole pot, and all during the meal was never sure if I hadn’t #2 “ALL VERSIONS OF MINESTRONE HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON: added too much. In the ordinary course of events, I have THEY HAVE TO SIMMER FOR TWO HOURS AT THE VERY LEAST, AND PREFERABLY THREE.” This method dates back to when soup was to really oversalt a dish to be bothered by this. made in fi red clay pots that had to be used over a gentle fl ame. Also, when Matt and I began to eat it, we kept This isn’t an easy technique to master in today’s kitchen, wondering what the spinach, the zucchini, the parsley, whether here or in Italy. Far better to add the vegetables so the potato, etcetera, did for the dish; perhaps some of that when the soup is done each has reached its own sort of tenderness—the zucchini and the shredded greens mouth- meltingly soft but still in coherent pieces, the green beans page three and the cabbage yielding but with something left to chew. garlic), not a trace of pancetta or meat, and no elaborate sea- sonings..,” Anya von Bremzen tells us, and this is confi rmed by the thoughtful recipes for it given by Colman Andrews and Fred Plotkin. Another distinction is the absence of tomato, although this is more a preference than a rule.

[SERVES 4 TO 6] Ligurian minestrone is always fi nished with a spoonful of 1 cup dried white beans, preferably cannellini or carponi di pesto stirred in just before it is served. As always, the pesto sartocchio (see page 7), rinsed and soaked in water overnight is never heated, and the pesto used in soup is traditionally 1 quart water (use the water in which the beans have been made without either pinoli or walnuts. This is real old- cooked, supplemented as necessary) fashioned Genoese soup, the kind eaten by dock workers in the harbor. —Fred Plotkin, RECIPES FROM PARADISE 2 garlic cloves, minced

S I WRITE THESE WORDS, a memory suddenly bubbles 2 large leeks, trimmed of their roots and the thick, dark up from the depths. I can almost name the day green part of their tops and cut into bite-size pieces A when I fi rst had pesto alla genovese back in 1971; 2 medium all-purpose potatoes, cut into bite-size cubes it was an encounter that shook my world. I thought this 3/4 ounce dried porcini, soaked 20 minutes in warm water, thick green amalgam of fresh basil, olive oil, pine nuts, then drained (but see note) and cheese was one of the most delicious things I had 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, cut into small pieces ever tasted. Alas, this was a time when nobody grew basil 1 bunch spinach or Swiss chard PLUS 1 small head of Savoy and nobody, except in large Italian neighborhoods, sold cabbage, washed carefully and cut into shreds it. I treasured every sprig I could lay my hands on and, meanwhile, read everything I could on the subject. 1/4 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil Thirty years ago, not a lot was written about dishes 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan utilizing pesto, but one that could be found—thanks to 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper fl akes books like Jean-Noël Escudier and Peta Fuller’s THE WON- 2 cups fresh green peas DERFUL FOOD OF PROVENCE (1968)—was soupe au pistou, the just-north-of-the-border sister version of minestrone 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper alla genovese. This might have been my fi rst encounter 8 ounces uncooked linguine, broken into 1-inch pieces, or with a truly memorable minestrone, if it weren’t for one any suitable small pasta shape thing.* The thought of wasting something as delicious 1/2 cup pesto alla genovese (see note) as pesto by stirring it into some sort of vegetable soup absolutely appalled me. You might as well shave a fresh • THREE HOURS BEFORE PREPARING THE MINESTRONE, put the beans and their soaking liquid in a soup pot, if necessary adding truffl e into a big pot of Irish stew.† enough additional water to cover the beans by 1/2 inch. That was then, when I would be lucky to eat pesto Bring to a full boil, reduce the heat until the water gently tossed in pasta three times in a whole summer—and bubbles, and cook for 10 minutes, skimming away and dreamt of having enough to slather on English muffi ns discarding any scum that rises to the surface. Then cover every morning for breakfast. Nowadays, of course, pesto the beans and simmer them until they are tender but still has become so ridiculously ordinary that fresh basil is fi rm. Taste them occasionally, since cooking time will depend on the type of bean and their age. When done, available in supermarkets year round—if anyone still remove from the heat and pour off the liquid, reserving it bothers to make it themselves, given how many upmarket and the beans both. saucemakers are eager to do it for you. • WHEN IT IS TIME TO MAKE THE SOUP, measure the bean-cook- Now, amusingly, my concern was just the op- ing liquid, adding more water if necessary to make a full posite—that the pesto would prove to be that “special quart. Return the liquid to the soup pot and bring to a boil. ingredient” the presence of which would override the Add the garlic, leek, potato, and the reconstituted porcini delicate balance that makes minestrone work. But, ob- (and, optionally, most of their soaking liquid—see note), viously, the Genoese don’t think so, and, besides, Wa- bringing everything up to a simmer. Cook uncovered, verley Root’s description of the minestrone alla genovese gently simmering all the while, for 1/2 hour. at Da Mario had piqued my interest. Pesto works well • Then add the olive oil, grated Parmesan, and dried hot with both potatoes and peas, and a dish that included red pepper fl akes. When all this has been stirred in and the all three seemed particularly inviting. Needless to say, cheese has dissolved, add the shredded greens, handful by handful. When the last handful has wilted enough so Root neglected to get the recipe. But I was pleased to fi nd that the soup liquid covers everything, bring it back to a some relatively uncluttered versions of minestrone alla simmer and cook for another 1/2 hour. genovese that contained those ingredients. Here is how we worked it out ourselves. • Now stir in the peas and the broken pasta pieces. This time, keep the heat high enough that the soup cooks at a slow boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then add the beans. Bring Minestrone alla Genovese back to a boil and let simmer 5 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and the beans have a chance to heat through. “A Ligurian minestrone, as opposed to a Lombardian one, • Remove the pot from the heat and let sit 15 minutes, or should contain no broth, no soffritto (sautéed onion and until the soup is cool enough to eat. Note that it is also delicious at room temperature. Put the pesto in a small *Which was not that Escudier, or Fuller (his American translator), bowl with a spoon and let each eater add some to taste. called for making the pistou with Grùyere or Edam cheese. Horrible idea? Well, Colman Andrews writes in FLAVORS OF THE RIVIERA that the ☛ COOK’S NOTES: DRIED PORCINI. The reason for discarding the chef at Nice’s La Merenda, a tiny place famous for its preparation mushroom-soaking liquid is to get rid of any grit. However, of local dishes, confi ded that “the secret of his particularly creamy using care you can dribble most of this fl avorful stuff into version was shredded Emmenthaler.” the soup, leaving the silt at the bottom undisturbed. (You †My second culinary effort, after a pamphlet on onion soup, was one can even go so far as to taste it for any gritty residue.) Note, called Aglio, Oglio, Basilico, at heart a paean to pesto, published in though, that this little trick is not risk-free. PESTO ALLA GENO- 1981. By then, after ten years of making it, I considered myself quite the expert. Did I even mention pistou or minestrone alla genovese anywhere within? Yes. I gave the subject one grudging line. page four VESE. Depending on the strictness of your moral standards, Hazelton, who grew up in Italy, writes of the summer you can whip up a nut-free batch especially for this dish, or Tuscan minestrone made by Isolina, their family cook. you can join the slackers (who exist even among the Geno- Because she used fresh shell beans, she added no water ese) and use a good nut-redolent version. Recipes also differ as to whether the cook should stir it into the minestrone at all; in adapting the recipe—which I have, more than a before it is served or whether eaters should be allowed to bit—I used (from necessity) precooked dried beans and do this themselves. In any case, a heaping tablespoon per included their fl avorful cooking liquid in the soup as person is considered by most to be a generous portion. well. Even so, the essential part of the method has been preserved: the soup is not diluted with water. It is also astonishingly good. Minestrone Estivo

[SERVES 4 TO 6] Abundance of vegetables - piles of white and green fennel, 8 ounces dried Pescadero (see page 7) or other variety of like celery, and great sheaves of young, purplish, sea- cranberry bean, borlotti,* or pinto beans, rinsed and dust-coloured artichokes, nodding their buds, piles of big soaked in water overnight radishes, scarlet and bluey purple, carrots, long strings of dried fi gs, mountains of big oranges, scarlet large peppers, a 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, minced last slice of pumpkin, a great mass of colours and vegetable 2 large tomatoes (about 1 pound), halved and sliced freshnesses. How the dark, greasy, night-stricken street 1 seems to beam with these vegetables, all this fresh delicate /2 pound green beans, French-cut and sliced into 1-inch lengths fl esh of luminous vegetables piled there in the air, and in 2 medium onions, cut into thin rings the recesses of the windowless little caverns of the shops, 2 large or 4 small summer squash or zucchini, sliced and gleaming forth on the dark air, under the lamps. —D. H. Lawerence, SEA AND SARDINIA 1 medium-size head escarole, rinsed well and shredded 6 sprigs fl at-leaf parsley, minced T IS TIME TO ADMIT that I was wrong in considering min- estrone a “bean soup.” The beans are almost always 2 sprigs basil, minced • salt and black pepper to taste Ithere, it’s true, but this is because, I think, they are freshly grated Parmesan cheese meant to stand in for the meat that, except to give depth • THREE HOURS BEFORE PREPARING THE MINESTRONE, put the beans to the stock, isn’t ever present. Maybe the best way to and their soaking liquid in a soup pot, if necessary adding sum up minestrone is as the quintessential vegetable enough additional water to cover the beans by 1/2 inch. soup. Or, to hone it down even further—the quintessen- Bring to a full boil, reduce the heat until the water gently tial vegetable gardener’s soup. Italians are as famously bubbles, and cook for 10 minutes, skimming away and obsessed with how their vegetables are grown as how discarding any scum that rises to the surface. Then cover they are prepared (see, in this regard, Faith Willinger’s and simmer the beans until they are tender but still fi rm. Taste them occasionally, since cooking time will depend RED, WHITE & GREENS), and it is the dovetailing of these on the type of bean and their age. When done, pour off passions that produces a truly fi ve-star minestrone. the liquid, reserving it and the beans both. A corollary of this, however, is that Italian veg- • WHEN IT IS TIME TO MAKE THE SOUP, cover the bottom of a deep etables have more fl avor than ours, since they are grown pot with half the olive oil and sprinkle with the minced for taste more than visual appeal or, worse, longevity. garlic. Layer the sliced tomatoes over this, then, in ex- True, Italy, like France, increasingly suffers from the act order, the green beans, the onion rings, the summer deprivations wrought by convenience and a bureaucracy squash or zucchini, and the shredded escarole. Sprinkle heavily tilted to corporate interests. But motivated cooks this with the minced parsley and basil and pour over the there can still fi nd local market gardeners who offer the bean-cooking liquid and the rest of the olive oil. traditional varieties grown with love and care. This ex- • Cover the pot and put it over a medium fl ame. Cook for plains a soup like the one above that resolutely shrugs 10 minutes, until the escarole has wilted and it and the off the usual enhancements that attend the making of rest of the vegetables have begun to release their liquid. Then turn the heat to low, add the reserved beans, stir ev- a vegetable soup: stock, a soffritto of chopped aromatics erything well, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Put lightly sautéed in olive oil, a piece of preserved pork. the cover back on and simmer until the green beans and The addition of the pesto at the end does provide squash are tender. This should take somewhere between a variation to this theme, but in a distinctly minor way. 15 to 20 minutes. Then let the minestrone cool for at least Such a small amount is used that if the vegetables haven’t for 15 minutes before serving (it is also delicious at room already pulled more than their fair share of the weight, temperature). Put a small bowl containing freshly grated Parmesan on the table for each eater to add to taste. the resulting soup tastes primarily of diluted pesto—the very opposite of the desired effect. Alas, this was just what Place a bowl of this soup next to the one I ate at happened to me when I fi rst made the soup following the the beginning of this story in the retirement community general rule, which—at least given the amount of fl avor in dining room, and, at fi rst glance, they would seem very the vegetables I had—called for simply too much water. much the same. There would be the two sorts of bean, the Cutting the amount in half, plus some other tinkering (all various vegetables, the greens, the familiar presence of included in the recipe), produced a much better soup, one tomato. But once in the mouth they could not be further that like the fi rst, continued to improve as we ate it. apart. The one tastes only of soup; the other of soup and This experiment encouraged my natural incli- something else—an affi nity among a random-seeming as- nation as a soupmaker, which is to add as little water semblage of ingredients that the cook fi rst intuited and as possible to any soup unless the ingredients demand then carefully cultivated. It is this and nothing else that dilution. But could one do this and produce something makes a minestrone not only good...but true to itself. that could still be called a minestrone? The answer was waiting for me in Nika Hazelton’s REGIONAL I TALIAN K ITCHEN. *According to the USDA, Italian borlotti beans are identical to the American cranberry bean. Furthermore, a large percentage of the borlotti beans sold in Italy are actually cranberry beans imported page fi ve from the United States. continued from page 1 as politically incorrect as a movie could be, these days.” that builds up while you gingerly prize open the hot foil, “I’ll drink to that,” the Professor said, and did. the wonderful fi rst bite of shatteringly crisp crust and Jo called me over to toss the pasta in the sauce opulent, garlicky crumb.... But, from that point, it’s all and dish it out onto the plates. As she brought them to downhill. The slices are too greasy at the center and dry the table, I slid the garlic bread package out onto a small around the edges; the harshness of the garlic powder platter and brought that in. The Professor corralled the intrudes more and more insistently; and, worst of all, bottle and the rest of the glasses. as eaters grab the loaf to tear off slices, they gradually As he did so, Jess caught my elbow. “Do you, like, compress the interior into an unappetizing wad. have a Coke around, or something?” Who needs a cooking lesson or even a cookbook “In the fridge,” I answered. “Ginger ale, Orangina, to correct this? I rounded up a crusty loaf of Tuscan even some Moxie.” bread, a garlic press, a bottle of deep-green olive oil, a “Double yuck,” Jess said. bread knife, and I was all set to rock. First, I put plenty “Well, you’re at one with Jo in that regard,” I an- of crushed garlic, hot red pepper fl akes, and a pinch of swered. “Anyway, whatever you fi nd, help yourself.” salt and oregano in lots the olive oil in a pot over very low She returned with one of Jo’s Diet Cokes (double heat, so the fl avors could mingle and the garlic soften yuck), and we all settled in. I ceremoniously opened the without getting bitter. foil, releasing the full aroma of the garlic bread. While that was happening, I cut the loaf into thick “Fall to, everyone,” said Jo, “and pass the wine.” slices, all the way through. This meant that (a) I could get the spread right down to the bottom crust and (b) the loaf wouldn’t get crushed by impatient eaters trying to pull Alec’s Pasta with Tuna away a slice. I took a small natural-bristle paintbrush and Caponata and used it to spread the seasoned oil/garlic mixture lightly over both sides of each slice, crust to crust. Then When I fi rst started making this dish, throwing it together I reassembled the loaf, wrapped it in foil—leaving that a was easy as pie. That’s because every grocery store with little open at the top—and put it in a hot oven for about a section of Italian canned foods always stocked tiny twenty minutes, until it was nicely heated through. cans of Progresso caponata, a kind of vegetable relish And that would have been that, except, once I with chunks of eggplant, celery, onion, capers, and so on in a spicy sauce. But then they vanished: maybe the little committed myself to the olive oil camp, I began having old Italian lady whose job it was to put one and only one serious doubts. Maybe I had been a little hasty in dis- green olive in each can fi nally retired. This doesn’t mean missing butter as somehow un-Italian? (That garlic bread you can’t still fi nd caponata, but very often it isn’t chunky is most often made with margarine is a fact too horrible to (and it ought to be really chunky) and the fi rst ingredient even let linger in the mind.) After all, garlic butter is, just is tomato, where it should be eggplant. Our supermarket by itself, a phrase to make the knees weak. Had I, in my stocks a 7.5-ounce can of Cento-brand caponata (eggplant 40%), nearly identical to Progresso’s; Trader Joe’s sells innocence, been outholying the pope? a caponata that fl unked both my tests, but their roasted The solution, I explained to Jo, when I thought vegetable bruschetta spread was a perfect substitute. about it, was as plain as the nose on my face. Prepare both a butter and an olive oil spread and then apply them [SERVES 4] alternately, slice by slice, throughout the loaf. That way.... 1 pound thin spaghetti I let the rest of the sentence drift away. The look she gave me strongly hinted that I had better leave well enough 2 6-ounce cans solid light tuna packed in olive oil alone. I was turning into a garlic-bread nut. 3/4 large (24-ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce (see note below) ❁ ❁ ❁ 8 to 12 ounces caponata (see note above) 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce THAT’S A TOUGH ONE,” the Professor agreed, as I explained all this to him. “What’s your gambit for tonight?” • NOTE: If you are serving this dish in the winter, you might “Well,” I answered, “the pasta sauce we’re hav- want to put a large heatproof mixing bowl into a warm oven, then use this to prepare the dish. In the summer, ing is made with lots of tuna, so I thought that in this don’t bother—all the sauce needs is the heat it gets from instance butter might be a little out of place.” the hot pasta. We looked at each other. • Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. When it does, “Ah ha,” the Professor said. add the pasta. Open the cans of tuna and empty them “Quite obvious to the initiated,” I agreed, and and their oil (optional, but if you don’t use it add an equal went back to preparing the slices. amount of extra-virgin olive oil) into a large mixing bowl. Meanwhile, Jo had appeared, and she and Jess Break the tuna into small chunks with a fork. Add the rest were chatting away at the other kitchen counter, where of the ingredients and stir well. When the pasta is done the real cooking was going on, namely opening various to your liking, drain it and toss it in the sauce. Serve in warmed bowls, with, if you like, a tossed salad and Alec’s cans and jars. I handed the Professor our corkscrew, and garlic bread on the side. while he extracted the cork from the fi rst bottle of vino I ☛ stuck the garlic bread into the oven and went over to the COOK’S NOTE: TOMATO PASTA SAUCE. Choose one that lists as its fi rst ingredient tomatoes, not water or tomato purée. cupboard to get the wine glasses. The night the Professor came over, we used Muir Glen’s The Professor poured some for both of us, passing Organic Tomato Basil Sauce (its ingredient list starts over a glass. He lifted his. “Merry met and merry part,” with “organic tomatoes, organic tomato purée, organic he said. onions...”). As to the amount, take into account the size “To girls and gunpowder,” I replied, lifting mine. of the caponata jar and the appetite of the eaters. Add “I think those two things are actually the same,” the whole jar if you like, but that makes for a very sauce- intensive pasta dish. the Professor said, glancing over at Jess. “Where does that come from—an old John Wayne movie?” • to be continued • “Pretty close,” I answered. “Gregory Peck, in a movie about seal poachers dueling over a woman. About page six TABLE TALK BEAUTIFUL BEANS. Two of my favorite food publications are sliver of unctuous richness, kept this side of cloying by newsletters; one comes from Zingerman’s (a subscription the sharp edge of coarse salt, cracked black pepper, and is ten dollars a year) and is written largely by Ari Weinz- various pungent herbs.† Ari suggests placing it on top of weig, and the other from Corti Brothers (this one is free), a slice of warmed bread or a slab of garlic-rubbed brus- written by Darrell Corti. In temperament, Ari and Darrell chetta; it can also be used for seasoning, like pancetta, are about as opposite as you can get, the one irrepressibly or chopped into fi ne dice and sprinkled directly over hot enthusiastic, the other quiet and considered. What they polenta or minestrone. ZINGERMAN’S, 422 DETROIT ST., ANN share—and what makes me always read them—is their ARBOR MI 48104 • 888-636-8162 • WWW.ZINGERMANS.COM. serious interest in unusually special foods and the quali- ties that make them so. In his last two issues, Darrell has been writing about the shell beans grown by Reno Dinelli in Pescadero, south of San Francisco on the California coast. The area—the soil deep, the climate cool—is ideal for beans, IN MEMORIAM. Matt and I mourn the loss of two readers and Dinelli makes the most of this, raising two varieties in and friends, Alan Davidson and Bill Bridges. Alan, of particular that are wholly out of the ordinary. course, will be known to most of our subscribers as the One of these is caponi di sartocchio, brought author of several important—indeed, one-of-a-kind—cu- from Tuscany to California in 1912 by Dinelli’s father. A linary works and as the force behind Prospect Books, heritage variety of Phaseolus coccineus, it is a large but which allowed him to publish an impressive number quick-cooking white bean with a smooth texture, a soft of food-related titles that would otherwise never have skin, and a subtly delicious fl avor. These would be ideal made it into print. These ranged from rare and histori- for making minestrone if they weren’t all but impossible cally signifi cant cookbooks to introductions to obscure to fi nd in this country. The usual choice, cannellini beans foreign cuisines. He was one of the cofounders, and for (in fact a variety of Phaseolus vulgarus), while very good, many years the editor, of Petits Propos Culinaires, the pales in comparison. If you’re a lover of the latter, when lively and scholarly journal that remains that rarest of you sample caponi di sartocchio, you’ll think you’ve died things, an intellectual enterprise with neither university and gone to heaven. The other bean—also quick-cooking nor foundation backing. Instead, it depends on the sup- and possessing the same luscious texture and tender skin port and contributions of a like-minded community, one but a more robust (pinto-bean-like) fl avor—are Dinelli’s that could only have been brought together by someone cranberry, or borlotti, beans. These have a lovely mottled as generous, totally lacking in self-importance, honestly color until cooked, when they turn a pinkish beige. Corti curious, and impervious to cant and preconceived truth Brothers buys up the entire supply and sells both at $4.99 as Alan. I only met him once (Matt knew him much better a pound (plus shipping). CORTI BROTHERS, PO BOX 191358, than I). But these qualities were so obvious that he made SACRAMENTO CA 95819 • (916) 736-3800. me feel immediately like a good friend—and, as for many others, his death means that I have lost one. BUTTER OF PIG. Ari Weinzweig, in the January/February Bill, although he left his mark on the culinary side 2004 issue of Zingerman’s News, devotes a long and of things with his terrifi c GREAT AMERICAN CHILI BOOK, was by interesting essay to the return of traditional free-range profession a photographer, whose work regularly appeared ways of raising pork. However, it was a paragraph in the in Life and other national publications. We knew him most accompanying sidebar that doubled my pulse rate. Lardo, as an indefatigable writer of warm, long, and fascinating an Italian cured pork product, is now being produced in letters, sometimes refracting off what he had read in SIMPLE the U.S. at Niman Ranch (WWW.NIMANRANCH.COM), under the COOKING and other times just spinning tales—of his New direction of François Vecchio, a European-born expert Orleans boyhood, life as a teenage POW in Nazi Germany, salumiere, who previously directed production of San eating adventures while on assignment, and such culinary Francisco’s famed Columbus dry-aged salami. obsessions as pushcart tamale vendors and Texas barbecue. I fi rst learned of lardo in the pages of Matt Kramer’s A Some of these stories appeared in these pages, but hardly PASSION FOR PIEDMONT, where, in a recipe preface, he notes: all—our fi le of his correspondence is easily as fat as the The Piedmontese are great lard lovers, by the way. Many Manhattan Yellow Pages. He had an enormous appetite Piedmontese consider the best source a butcher’s shop for life, a prodigious memory, and a talent for putting it all called Macelleria Brarda in the town of Cavour. [V]ery lightly into words. In sum, he was a great guy; we—and SIMPLE seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary, it is served sliced COOKING—will feel his absence sorely. as thin as lingerie, in supple, cream-colored strips. Once you acquire a taste for it—which takes no effort at all—the only challenge is to forget that it is, well, lard. Anna Jordan, in a piece on cured pork in The Wine Enthusiast. Except, in fact, that’s not quite right. The Italians do some- And she herself observed of lardo, “The very name sends most times call lard lardo, as well as sugna and strutto, each Americans scurrying toward their cholesterol medication.” with its fi ne distinction, but the Piedmontese use the word †I know this because of the generosity of subscriber and Zinger- man’s mail-order guru, Maurice Frechette who sent me a sub- to refer to a particular cut of pork fat that is seasoned as stantial chunk to sample. (Thanks, Mo!) Kramer describes and then cured so that it can be eaten raw. This may sound a bit over the top, and for some, no Simple Cooking 84 © 2004 Joh n T hor ne a nd Mat t L ew is T hor ne. A l l r ig ht s matter what I write here, it will remain so.* But cut paper- reserved. ❍ The subscription price is $25 for fi ve issues, which is the number thin and sampled in moderation, it is a mouth-melting we hope to get out each year. ❍ Un less you st at e ot her w is e, we a ssu m e let t er s *“I cannot sell lardo, I have to give it away,” Francesco Antonucci, to us are meant for publication and can be edited accordingly. ❍ P.O. Box executive chef of the Manhattan restaurant Remi, told Michelle 778, Northamp ton MA 01061 ❍ [email protected]. Visit our award-win ning Internet site at: HTTP://WWW.OUTLAWCOOK.COM. page seven ISSN 0749-176X ur readers write

Soup and Onions it against her stiffl y corseted stomach, she S I STAND IN MY KITCHEN, dicing on- sliced horizontally through its fat middle ions, I wonder if my aunts and and, grasping one half fi rmly in her hand, A uncle took Booba’s kitchen ex- Cynthia Ehrenkrantz cut a crosshatch pattern of tiny squares. pertise for granted. They ate with Then, holding it over the pan, she deftly relish but showed little interest in how the HERE’S A NIP IN THE AIR. Soup weather. pulled the blade towards her, using a scarred meal had actually been prepared. I was the It’s time to chop vegetables and thumb as a stabilizer. As she did, the onion only one in the family who was fascinated Tput them on for a slow simmer. I fell in perfect dice into the sizzling oil. by her skill and who loved watching her stand by the sink dicing onions. While she did this, her lumpy, bun- chop fi sh or braid challah. Onions are a vital ingredient of most dishes ion-y feet aching on the cold tile fl oor, Although she left no will, perhaps her I cook and essential for soup. Whenever she sang. She sang Yiddish songs from her legacy skipped a generation and has come I chop onions, I remember my Jewish girlhood in Poland and tunes her children down to me. Chopping onions makes my grandmother, and her shadow is beside had brought home from the London music eyes sting with tears, but I smile and start me in the kitchen. halls thirty years before. These became a to hum, remembering my Booba’s cheer- Booba had no “dream kitchen.” Her garbled mishmash of Yiddish and English, ful singing while the onions turn golden work space was the scullery, a dimly lit interspersed with her own version of “tra la in the pan. afterthought of a room at the back of her la” which was “deedle deedle dum.” u Victorian house in North London. The dic- tionary defi nes scullery as “a small room Booba’s Yushkeh attached to a kitchen, in which the washing of dishes and other dirty work is done.” (Potato Soup) Booba’s scullery was her kitchen. It held a rickety gas range, a metal storage [SERVES 8] cabinet with two shelves for her pots, one 11/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and for meat and the other for dairy, for she cut in chunks observed the kosher dietary laws meticu- 6 cups water lously. There were two drawers in the metal OUP WAS THE BACKBONE of Booba’s 2 teaspoons salt cabinet where her utensils were similarly meals. A pot was always simmering 2 bay leaves divided, and in the corner was a sink with on the stove, and the aroma wel- S 1/8 teaspoon white pepper a splintery, wooden draining board. Under comed us when we walked through the sink were two big enamel dish-wash- the front door. It was served scalding hot, 1 dried red pepper ing bowls, one trimmed in red, the other in large, fl at bowls, and I was always told 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in blue. The uneven fl oor was paved with to “take from the edge” and to blow on 3 medium onions, chopped pitted, ice-cold ceramic tiles. it so that I wouldn’t burn my mouth. The This dingy room was the birthplace main course was served in tiny portions 2 tablespoons fl our of shoals of golden fried fi sh and fragrant, compared with the quantities we are ac- •Put the potatoes, water, salt, bay leaves, gleaming, braided challah breads, poached customed to today, but because everyone and white and red pepper into a 4-quart sweet and sour fi sh in a spicy jelled sauce, had fi lled up on big bowls of soup no one pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat barrels of pickled red and white cabbage, ever left the table hungry. and cook until the potatoes are soft (about dilled cucumbers, marinated herring, and 25 minutes). Then discard the bay leaves Every year, between the festivals and the red pepper. great simmering pots of comforting soups. of Purim at the beginning of March and Our New York suburban kitchen is Passover at the beginning of April, Booba •Meanwhile, make the einbruhn. Sauté the large. Its granite counters gleam in the sun- economized by feeding her family a onions in oil in a large frying pan until they are soft and golden. Add the fl our to the light. It is lined with drawers and cabinets. hearty potato soup called yushkeh. For We have a dishwasher, knives, pots and onions, stirring constantly over low heat until my grown-up uncle and aunts, yushkeh was the fl our is a rich brown (about 10 minutes). skillets in every size, and two ovens, plus the ultimate nostalgia food, remembered Ladle 1/2 cup of the boiling soup liquid into a microwave. lovingly from their childhood. the onion mixture, stirring as you do so to When a recipe asks for “one onion, They never realized that a steady ensure there are no lumps. Add another 1/2 chopped fi ne,” I peel it with a small paring six-week diet of potato soup enabled their cup and bring to the boil. Then add all of the knife. Then I put it on a cutting board and mother to save enough to buy the luxuri- onion mixture to potatoes and their broth. cut it in half from stem to root with a chef’s ous essentials for Passover: eggs, almonds, •Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 min- knife. Next, laying the fl at surface on the walnuts, lemons. When they were children, utes to combine fl avors. Smush some of the board, I slice it thinly, fi rst in one direction they all thought yushkeh was made with beef potatoes with a potato masher. This will help and then the other, to form small dice. because Booba deceived them into believing thicken the soup and give it texture. However, Onions were as important to my that the soup was rich and meaty. do not purée in a processor or blender: that grandmother’s cooking as they are to mine, She accomplished this illusion by fi rst will make the soup gummy. Serve piping hot but she owned no cutting boards, so her making einbruhn—a roux where the fl our (and don’t forget to take from the edge). chopping method was different. She had is added to fried onions and stirred over one long, carbon-steel knife, its blade worn Cynthia Ehrenkrantz is a retired food broker a low fl ame until it is the color of walnut living in White Plains, New York. She was to a thin stiletto from frequent sharpening. shells. This thickened the soup and gave it born in London and has lived in the United She peeled an onion, and then, steadying a deep brown color and a nutty taste. States since 1957. estrone recipes, including two from other books, one of them from G. A. Annotated Salla’s THE T HOROUGH G OOD C OOK (1895). She also makes this observation: “In the making of minestrone...wine is not Bibliography generally employed, although it would xxxxx often be an improvement.” Escudier, Jean-Noël, and Peta J. Fuller. THE WONDERFUL FOOD OF PROVENCE. Boston: Andrews, Colman. FLAVORS OF THE R IVIERA. New Houghton Miffl in, 1968. York: Bantam, 1996 Ghedini, Francesco. NORTHERN I TALIAN C OOKING. Artusi, Pellegrino. THE ART OF EATING WELL. New York: Hawthorne, 1973. Translated by Kyle M. Phillips III. New Harris, Valentina. RECIPES FROM AN ITALIAN York: Random House, 1997. FARMHOUSE KITCHEN. New York: Simon — . SCIENCE IN THE KITCHEN AND THE ART OF EAT- and Schuster, 1989. ING WELL. Translated by Murtha Baca Hazelton, Nika. THE REGIONAL ITALIAN KITCHEN. and Stephen Sartarelli. New York: New York: Evans, 1978. Marsilio, 1997. Kasper, Lynne Rossetto. THE ITALIAN COUNTRY Bettoja, Jo, and Anna Maria Cornetto. ITAL- TABLE. New York: Scribner, 1999. This IAN COOKING IN THE GRAND TRADITION. New book offers two separate minestrone York: Dial, 1982. recipes—minestrone estivo (but with fi ve Bianchi, Anne. ZUPPA! SOUPS FROM THE ITALIAN cups of broth) and minestrone della COUNTRYSIDE. Hopewell NJ: Ecco, 1996. At famiglia, which relates not only how a casual glance, this book can seem to her Tuscan grandmother made it but be made up of nothing but minestrone how her grandfather and aunt dressed recipes, for it is full of hearty, vegeta- it to their taste at the table. She then ble-intensive zuppe. But she provides provides a kind of primer for improvis- some interesting minestrone recipes, ing your own minestrone, with lots of as well, including versions made with tricks for adding depth of fl avor to the farro, chestnuts, fennel fronds, and broth, rescuing bland versions, and lentils and tomatoes. seasoning the soup before serving it. Bugialli, Giuliano. THE F INE A RT OF I TALIAN C OOK- Kramer, Matt. A Passion for Piedmont. New ING. New York: Times, 1977. Bugialli York: Morrow, 1997. provides meticulously detailed recipes Middione, Carlo. La Vera Cucina: Traditional for Tuscan versions of minestrone di Recipes from the Homes and Farms riso and minestrone alla contadina, of Italy. New York: Simon & Schuster, which is served on top of thick slices 1996. of Tuscan bread. Following these is a Plotkin, Fred. Recipes from Paradise: Life and recipe for ribollita, or “reboiled” min- Food on the Italian Riviera. Boston: estrone, which is made by reheating Little, Brown, 1997. Plotkin offers not leftover minestrone with stale bread so only an elaborate version of minestrone it becomes a kind of bread soup. alla genovese but pretty much every- Caggiano, Biba. TRATTORIA C OOKING. New York: thing you could ever want to know Macmillan, 1992. Caggiano offers a Tus- about making pesto itself. can minestrone recipe from Locanda Root, Waverley, and the Editors of Time-Life Marchetti at Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Books. The Cooking of Italy. Foods a medieval town near Lucca. of the Worlds Series. Alexandria VA: David, Elizabeth. ITALIAN FOOD. Revised Edi- Time-Life, 1968. tion. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. Von Bremzen, Anya. The Greatest Dishes! This famous work contains fi ve min- Around the World in 80 Recipes. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. page nine