Zuppa di Pane Toscana

Or...Tuscan bread soup, as promised!

Some preliminary background and considerations:

Tuscan bread soup is a staple in the region. There are literally hundreds of authentic recipes for this soup, depending on who your Nonni is. :) Genuine Tuscan bread is dense, coarse, rather non-descript in flavor (has little salt), and only comes to life if served "dipped" with a nice olive oil, balsamic vinaigre, and seasonings like minced garlic, sharp grated pecorino or parm, oregano, etc. But you can tell by its very humble nature that it is what has sustained the farmers, shepherds, and warriors of that region for thousands of years. That makes it venerable as far as I'm concerned.

The type of bread used - wherever you get it - is key. It must be a firm, tough-crusted, non-crumbly, genuinely Italian-style bread. Rustic or "artisan" style, if you will, and day-old at least. Your typical grocery store small-"i" italian bread will not suffice - it is made with white flour and will become a slimy, mushy mess in this soup. As with pasta, the preferred flour comes from durum wheat, which breaks down more slowly than, say, its Pillsbury bleached white counterpart. My Pane Toscana recipe is ideal for making this recipe, but we hardly ever have enough left! Fortunately, it's an easy recipe, so it is worth making an extra loaf to be used for soup.

You might be able to find a recipe you like better than this by searching the 'net, but this one is hard to goof up, tastes great, and is one I got in person from a restaurant in Assisi on the feast of St. Francis 4 years ago, painstakingly and very roughly translated and transcribed onto a napkin (which was destroyed by BAD WILEY!). Anyway, the memory still cracks me up. Our waitress and I were staring at each other's lips, making wild hand gestures and pantomimes trying to get it right, and laughing like crazy. Granted, I'd had a fair amount of vino...but I prefer to think she was laughing with me.

So, after that long introduction....here's......

Zuppa di Pane Toscana

Ingredients:

* 2 - 2.5 pounds stale Italian bread, sliced and toasted (or, if you are a savage like me, you can tear your slices into large chunks/quarters for easier chowing)

* 1.5 qts (6-7 c.) whole milk, heated (be generous...you'll see why in a minute)

Tomato Soup Base:

* 1 lb. fresh, sun-ripened tomatoes (buy the nicest, reddest squishy-est plum tomatoes you can find off-season)

* 1 smallish onion, chopped medium-ish

* 1 smallish clove garlic (or more to taste), finely chopped

* 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

* 2 sweet basil leaves, shredded (fresh is great, but also hard to find in winter, so don't sweat it if you use dried)

* 1/3 pound freshly grated sharp pecorino, Parmigiano, mozzarella, or even asiago (if you're into that kinda thing...) I've also chunked up a log of buffalo mozz. and tossed it in. Not bad at all.

* salt and crushed red or fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. To prepare the tomato soup base, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a medium saucepot (not frying pan!) until the onion becomes translucent.

2. Slice the tomatoes into the pot, squeezing them in your hand as you add them.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper, simmer for about 15 minutes, adding the basil during the last 5 minutes or so (keeps its flavor better that way).

4. While the tomato mixture is cooking, preheat oven to 350* and heat the milk to very warm, but below a simmer.

5. Dip toasted bread slices in the warm milk, dunking quickly them so they are well-moistened but not soggy (a la french toast), and let the excess milk drip back into the pot for the next slice.*** (<-- I like a creamier tomato soup, so I toss the leftover milk into the tomato base at the end...I think this is what the waitress suggested, too. Totally up to you.)

***I use a potato masher as an improvised "dunking rack" for this part - rest the bread slice on top of the masher: dunk, drip, repeat....this is where the tearing slices into chunks came from. Masher's too small to hold a whole slice, and it makes it easier to eat!

6. Put a first layer of dipped slices in a round, tall-sided casserole dish, layer it with tomato mixture, then cheese, and continue until the bread is used up. Pour remaining tomato base over the top.

7. Heat in the oven for 15 minutes, take out and sprinkle with cheese or a little fresh basil for garnish - serve it warm with a tasty Chianti, Sangiovese, or if you like whites, some Vernaccia di San Gimignano (<--best shopping day EVER!)

This is no-fail yummy, but search about and experiment with any of the zillion recipes you find out there. I have a Tuscan cookbook with a heartier winter version of this Zuppa that involves white beans and added root veggies, which I've not yet tried. I'll let you know how it goes!

Cranberry-Apricot Pork Roast

Oh. My. Goodness. From the experimental dinner files:

Ingredients:

* 2.5-3 lb boneless pork loin roast, well trimmed of fat
* 1 can (16 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce (NOT jellied sauce!)
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 can (5.5 oz) apricot nectar (you could also substitute real apple cider)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
* 2 tsp cider vinegar (or white if you must)
* 1 tsp dry mustard
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I use "Hot Shot" red/black pepper blend)


Directions:

1. In a 3-qt or larger slow-cooker, mix all ingredients (except pork) together with a fork

2. Add pork; spoon some of the cranberry mixture over the top.

3. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender, spooning sauce over top of roast periodically.

4. Remove pork to cutting board and slice - it will be very tender, so use care when lifting out.

5. Spoon fat off sauce and strain some of the fruit to serve atop slices if plating before bringing to the table, or serve sauce with pork.

Whoa. This is GOOD! We served this roast with a jar of good German red cabbage, sprouts, applesauce, and mashed potatoes. And lots of good German beer. 4 stars from the beloved AND the girlies. I still can't move, I'm so darn full, but I had to share.

Crockpot Chicken & Chicken Pastina

Oh, it is that lovely time of year again...Michaelmas is today, Fall is officially here! So crack out the slow-cooker and try this one:

Ingredients:

* 1 whole fresh chicken, skin on and bones in, with organs (or baggie thereof) removed from body cavity

* 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix, split in thirds

* Pepper, Poultry Seasoning to taste

* 1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions: (NB: start right after breakfast!)

1. Pour 1/3 of soup mix on bottom of pot, sprinkle 1/3 into body cavity of chicken, then place chicken in pot.

2. Using a sharp knife, carefully slit and gently separate skin on top (breast side) of chicken and pat final third of soup mix under skin, pressing skin back down when finished.

3. Set crock pot on low setting, cover and cook all day (at least 8 hours), without removing lid. About 2-3 hours before cooking time is done, stir in cream of mushroom soup and replace cover.

4. When ready to serve, carefully remove chicken from pot (it will be drippy, so hold it over the pot for a minute or so) and serve on a platter - reserve the juices and drippings! (See below...)

This chicken is so good and juicy! It should disjoint and be falling apart when done.

Some practical tips and options:

• Slow cookers differ! If yours tends to cook quickly, reduce time by an hour or so and pour a bit of white wine or water into the bottom of the pot to prevent any sticking or drying out - this has never been a problem for me, but keep an eye on things if you can when you try this one for the first time.


• Got a few extra eaters? Depending on the size of your pot AND of your crowd, you can easily throw in some extra legs and thighs around the edges of the whole chicken. Add more soup mix and liquid if needed.


• For some extra flavor, put a few stalks of celery (greens included) in the body cavity of the chicken.


• Goes GREAT with Pane Toscana (or any nice, crusty bread and butter)


• Leftovers? DON'T chuck the contents of your pot! You can make a gravy from the juice or do our favorite recycling project....


• This recipe makes a GREAT stock for soup, as follows:

Chicken Pastina

Ingredients:

* All the juices and bits of chicken leftover from your delicious crockpot chicken (see above)

* 1-2 cans - or a carton - of chicken broth, or equivalent in bouillon cubes if need be***

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1/2 box of Pastina (tiny star-shaped pasta - I use Barilla)

* chopped fresh veggies - carrots, peas, green pepper, sweet corn - lightly pre-steamed, OR (much easier!) a 1/2 bag of your favorite frozen mixed veggies

Directions:

1. Carefully pour reserved juices from crockpot into a cover-able pan, amply-sized storage container, or even a large, gallon-size ziploc baggie, straining out any bones but reserving any other bits of meat and skin that might still be lurking in the juice!

2. Strip all remaining meat (skin too) from chicken carcass, shredding with fingers into bite-size pieces.

3. Place meat and skin into juice from pot, cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. About 30 minutes prior to your planned lunch or dinner time, take chicken/juice out of the fridge and skim off as much fat (white-ish stuff, Kasia!) as you can to prevent your soup from being "greasy"

5. In large saucepan or stock pot (depending on the amount of leftovers), slowly warm mixture, gradually pouring in your broth or bouillon and seasoning to taste. If it's too salty, add in water, 1/2 c. at a time, testing before and after each addition - don't over-dilute! You can pick out excess skin now as you see fit (Wiley and our other furry friends love this part!) but we leave a little bit in because we like it that way.

6. Bring mixture to a gentle boil, add pastina and bring back to a slow boil for 5 minutes.

7. Add veggies, cover, turn heat to lowest setting and simmer for 10-15 minutes, serve in bowls and enjoy this yummy, filling soup as a hearty lunch or a full-on dinner with a nice salad and/or Pane Toscana on the side!

***Note that the pastina will thicken substantially after the veggie-simmering process - this will make your soup more substance than liquid, so if you like a lot of broth, add extra. We like the thicker consistency - it is a very filling mixture either way.

As always - enjoy!

Chicken & Black Bean Burritos

This is a light and easy dinner - great in summer, stores well, portable, can be easily doubled, quintupled, whatever...of course the "light" factor disappears once you add the after-ingredients, but that's the joy of "optional." Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3-4 med. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or the equivalent in "tenderloin" pieces), fresh or thawed, cut into bite-size strips or pieces

1-2 Tb olive oil

2 tsp cumin

salt/pepper

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 med. jar salsa in whatever level of "hot" you prefer

1/2 c. frozen white corn (I round way up on this), or 1 small, drained can

1 pkg. (8) tortillas (homemade are best, but I lack the necessary skills and get them from a local restaurant, store-bought are a last resort)

Optional add-ins: shredded lettuce, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, Spanish/Mexican style rice, etc.

PREPARATION:

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste while heating olive oil in large, deep-sided skillet.

When oil is warmed (drop of water skips around on surface), thoroughly cook chicken on medium heat, stirring frequently, adding cumin as soon as outside of chicken pieces are white.

Once the chicken is cooked through, drain off excess oil - you'll want some of the drippings reserved for flavor, but not so much that your chicken is "swimming" in it

Stir in your jar of salsa and let it begin to simmer with chicken while you drain and rinse your black beans

Gently fold black beans into salsa mixture (don't smash them!), bring back to a simmer, then add corn, simmer entire mixture for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, while you set the table (or yell at your kids to come and set it) and get your tortillas* and add-ins ready.

Serve with fresh fruit on the side and enjoy!

*If you are like most people who don't live in the Southwest and don't have a tortilla warmer, use 2 dinner plates - one to hold the tortillas and one to cover them - and zap in the microwave for 30 seconds, flip the plates over, and repeat. Warm and moist, as opposed to warm and a bit dried out in the regular oven.

Or cheat and call my dear, dear friend Diane...a fellow (now retired) 110% Tex-Mex Jarhead's wife we met in '95 at El Toro...she makes her own flour tortillas and there's NOTHING like them in this world. We have imported her from VA a few times and will be going down to see her in a few weeks to make this dinner for our combined families and, of course, will slug back some Finger Lakes wine together. :)