Zuppa di Zucca
Friday November 6, 2009
Winter Squash Soup
This recipe was given to me by Luana, a master chef who has worked in and owned various restaurants in the Radicondoli area and who now teaches private cooking classes. Zucca refers to any orange fleshed winter squash. I made it with butternut squash in my California kitchen. The whole time I worked, I kept saying to myself, “It’s too simple, it’s too simple; add a little apple, add a little balsamic, add a little sage” … but I resisted that harping voice, reminding myself that the Tuscans are the oldest cooks in the world and I don’t need to doctor their recipes. I am glad I restrained myself because the flavors coalesced right at the end almost as if by magic. I’m not sure if it was the cavallo fritto, the flash fried black cabbage that was sprinkled on top which added a Chinese eggroll kind of flavor, or the finely minced rosemary, or the squash itself intensified by forty minutes of slow simmering in a pot with leeks. But we ate it all in three days and are already thinking about the next batch.
Six Large Servings
Ingredients:
2 Leeks, white part only, diced medium
1/3 cup olive oil
One whole butternut squash (approximately 4 cups) or medium sized pumpkin, peeled, seeds and pulp removed, chopped into 1-2 in chunks
4-5 cups water
3 T finely minced rosemary OR a few strands of saffron
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups very thinly sliced purple cabbage (a mandoline is great for this)
1/2 cup sunflower seed oil for flash frying the cabbage
Process:
Heat olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot and add leeks. Saute for several minutes, stirring.
In a separate pot, bring the water to a boil.
Add the squash to the leeks and cook, stirring, 5 minutes
Add salt and pepper.
If using saffron, add it at this point.
Add one ladle full of hot water and stir for a 2-3 minutes; then add another ladle of water; keep stirring and slowly adding water until water is all used up. DO NOT ADD WATER ALL AT ONCE—to do so pulls the flavor out of the vegetables, creating a bland soup.This whole process takes approximately 30-40 minutes.
Once squash is completely cooked, puree it with a hand blender until completely smooth. If the soup is too thick, add more water to achieve the desired consistency.
Stir in the rosemary (if you have not used the saffron). Turn heat to very low.
In a small skillet, heat the sunflower oil until very hot, but not smoking. Toss in small batches of the cabbage and stir to flash fry until dark and crispy but not scorched; DO NOT WALK AWAY—this process is very fast! Lift fried cabbage out of oil and drain on paper towels; keep cooking in small batches until it’s all done.
Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle the fried cabbage on top; drizzle with some additional extra virgin olive oil and serve.
Buon appetito!
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