Acquacotta
It sounds fancy and Italian, it means a soup of vegetables cooked in water. Left to my own devices, I’d add white beans or quinoa or enhance it with wine or vegetable broth. I am, however, honoring it for what it is. Acquacotta is peasanty, unpretentious and comforting, greater than the sum of its parts. It’s sort of like stone soup without the rocks -- a nice illustration of faith and a cheap and green meal, too.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 habanero or 1 jalapeno chopped
- 4 carrots chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 8 ounces green beans chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 bunch chard or other greens chopped
- 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 big bunch of basil chopped
- 1 small handful fresh thyme leaves
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- For serving: 6 slices whole-grain bread toasted
- extra olive oil for drizzling
- Options for lacto-ovo-types:
- poached eggs
- grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic, chopped onions, carrots, celery and habanero or jalapeno. Saute stirring occaionally until vegetables soften and turn fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add chopped greens, mushrooms, green beans and diced tomatoes. Continue cooking another 5 minutes.
- Stir in water, bay, basil and thyme and cover pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for half an hour.
- To serve: Place one slice of toasted bread at the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup over toast, add an extra drizzle of olive oil for gilding and enjoy.
- (Egg and cheese eaters can add one poached egg per bowl and a generous grating of Parmesan)