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Dinner Gluten free Healthy Main Soups Vegetables Vegetarian

Healthy Italian Lentil Soup or Zuppa di Lenticchie

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Lentils or “Lenticchie”

There are different varieties but, in any case, rich in iron and protein. We eat them as a first course, we like a lentils soup with pasta and potatoes, or as a side dish, healthy and tasty. Never miss for New Year’s Evening since the tradition tells that bring health, wealth and lucky.

 

Ingredients

  • 350 grams of Lentils
  • 300 grams of “Pancetta” or Bacon or also diced ham for a lighter version
  • 1 Onion
  • 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 tablespoons of  Tomato
  • 2 Carrots
  • 1 Celery
  • 1 Sprig of Rosemary
  • 4dl of structured Red Wine
  • Salt and Pepper as preferred

Preparation

  1. Wash the lentils in cold water, drain. Cut “Pancetta” or Bacon into cubes of about 2cm. Add the olive oil and the diced bacon in the pressure cooker and fry while open, not yet covered.
  2. Meanwhile, peel the onions and carrots and slice them, clean the celery, removing the leaves and the base of the coast, wash and cut into chunks. Combine the carrots, bacon, onions and celery, including the lentils and the rosemary, sprinkle with red wine and about 4dl of water, add salt to taste. It’s time to close the pot!
  3. When the valve of the pressure cooker starts to whistle, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
  4. When cooked, lift the valve and let the steam out. Now you can open the pot and pour into a pot to serve. Add a sprinkling of black pepper and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

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Categories
Dinner Main Soups Vegetarian

Delicious Pasta and Beans Soup, Pasta e Fagioli

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of a delicious Pasta and Beans or “Pasta e Fagioli”.

This soup is a classic example of Italian wonderful home cooking. Simple yet delicious cannellini or borlotti beans and short pasta mixed with chopped onion and fresh tomatoes. Beans are a great pantry staple with lots of protein and fibers. A great vegetarian, healthy dish that is delicious and comforting on a cold winter night. Loaded with fibers, low in fat and calories.

Ingredients (1 bowl of soup)

  • 2-3 spoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • finely chopped Onion
  • a handful of finely chopped Carrot and/or Celery, Bay Leaf
  • a chopped clove of Garlic
  • some Herbs, fresh or dried (sage, thyme, rosemary and oregano are all good)
  • 100 gr. fresh chopped Tomatoes, with juice
  • a tin of Beans 150g/5oz, ideally Borlotti or Cannellini
  • about 4 cups of Water or Stock
  • 50 grams small sized Pasta (maccheroni, mezze maniche, for example)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot and sauté the onion, carrot and celery with the bay leaf until the vegetables are soft, 10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another minute, then toss in the herbs, tomato. Raise the heat slightly, and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are bubbling vigorously. Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook gently, stirring and mashing the tomatoes often, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the beans and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour in the water or stock and bring the soup to a boil. Let it simmer for 10 mins.

2. In the meanwhile on a separate pan with a good pinch of salt as soon as the water boils cook the pasta half of the time given in the package instructions, drain, then add the pasta to the beans soup. Keep cooking the soup until pasta is cooked still “al dente“, then season with pepper. If you like, you can mash some of the beans; the smashed beans together with the starch from the pasta will thicken the soup pleasantly. Serve with a good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and grated parmesan cheese.

TIP: soft beans make all the difference here, organic tinned beans might be better.

VARIATION: add Prosciutto chopped in pieces to the sautéed onion mix.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

 

pastaefagioli

 

Categories
Dinner Pasta Soups

Pasta and Chickpeas Soup, “Pasta e Ceci”

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of “Chickpeas and Pasta Soup or Pasta e Ceci”

Chickpeas and Pasta soup is a whole Italian dish from the region of Lazio. It’s absolutely delicious, healthy and tasty especially if it accompanied with a good glass of red wine.

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 500 grams of Dried Chickpeas
  • 300 grams of Ditali Pasta (it’s a kind of Italian pasta perfect for this recipe, as well you can use spaghetti Chopped)
  • 3 fillets of Anchovies
  • 1 tablespoon of Tomato paste
  • 3 sprigs of Rosemary
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Black Pepper as you prefer

Preparation

1. Soak the chickpeas in cold water for 12 hours. Drain and rinse. Pour into a saucepan plenty of water and a sprig of rosemary and let cook for 3 hours. Salted chickpeas just 10 minutes before turning off the fire. In a pan pour 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 2 cloves of crushed garlic , cook for 3 minutes over medium heat , remove the garlic and add anchovies and after 2 minutes, add the tomato paste diluted in a previously glass of warm water , and simmer to reduce the sauce for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the drained chickpeas (retaining the cooking water), 1 sprig of rosemary and let cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 cups of water from cooking the chickpeas, salt and cook with the lid on low heat for about 1 hour, remembering to add water from cooking the chickpeas as it dries.

3. Deleting the rosemary and mix all together, put on the fire and bring to a boil, add salt, pour the pasta and you switch off the fire. Let stand for 1 hour. When it’s ready serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper plentiful.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

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