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!

Chicken with lemon pasta and asparagus

Another family favorite - just got some wonderfully thin, baby asparagus at the store....yummy yummy yummy!

Doesn't it look gorgeous?

Ingredients:

* 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or equivalent in breast "tenders") cut into bite-size strips

* 1 bunch asparagus - thin is best, but if you love asparagus like we do, it matters not - rinsed and cut into 1" pieces

* 1 bag tri-color rotini (corkscrew) pasta

* 1 lemon, cut into quarters, squeezed (save the juice!), and peel reserved

* olive oil - plain, or lemon-flavored is nice

* salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400* and start pot of water to boil for pasta, and start chopping up your chicken pieces, asparagus, and prepare your lemon: chop, squeeze, remove remaining flesh and seeds, and ZEST the lemon (see tip below).

2. Place asparagus pieces in 13x9 glass (or similar) pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast for 10 minutes in oven; start cooking pasta.

3. Heat 2-3 Tb. olive oil in large skillet, add chicken and brown, adding seasonings to taste. When it is fully cooked, remove to bowl, reserving all the drippings and oil. Return pan to stove - do not rinse it out.

4. Your asparagus and pasta should be done just about now - remove asparagus from oven and drain pasta, returning it to pot or large serving bowl. Using a spatula, scrape all contents (oil included) of asparagus pan into pasta, and do the same with your bowl of chicken. Set aside.

5. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to pan and warm it over low heat, scraping and reserving the browned bits from just having cooked your chicken. Add fresh lemon zest and gently cook to a light-golden brown. Remove from heat, then pour in lemon juice and whisk mixture together. This is your sauce.

6. Pour sauce over contents of pasta/chicken/asparagus mixture and toss together - add more olive oil if need be, but you should have enough.

Options: if you want a creamy sauce, add a can of cream of asparagus or cream of mushroom soup to your lemon juice/zest mixture before pouring over the pasta mixture; consider seasoning your chicken with lemon pepper for a little extra flavor.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese, Italian bread, and a nice fruity white wine, and enjoy!

Behold the lemon zester - this is the one I own, courtesy of "The Pampered Chef" ($9.95), and I got it specifically to make this recipe.

The "zest" of the lemon is the white stringy stuff on the inside of the peel. After you juice the lemon, peel away the fiber and flesh (like peeling an orange) and then use your zester to scrape away at the white zest, until you've nearly scraped through to the yellow rind. A good size lemon will yield a few tablespoons of zest. You can also use a traditional grater to zest the lemon, just be careful not to get your fingers or knuckles!

Tuscan bread (Pane Toscana)

Easiest, no-knead bread you'll ever make - quite versatile and tasty, too - just a lot of rising time, so plan to start it the day before:

INGREDIENTS

* 3 c. unbleached flour
* 1/4 tsp. instant dry yeast
* 1-1/4 tsp. salt
* extra flour (any kind) for dusting and for work surface, dash of cornmeal for baking surface

* 1-1/2 c. lukewarm water - a bit more if needed


DIRECTIONS

1. Use a fork to whisk together dry ingredients in large, stainless-steel bowl, then add water.

2. Stir mixture well, until flour is mostly incorporated - some will stick to sides of bowl. This is a very sticky, shaggy-looking dough. (NB: I use my KitchenAid stand mixer with dough hook and stainless steel bowl attachment, and a fork to quickly scrape at the sides rather than a spatula)

3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest and rise for 18 hours - yes - 18 hours. Dough surface will appear fairly bubbly when ready.

4. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and fold it over on itself 2-3 times, sprinkling lightly with extra flour. (Be sure to flour your fingers, too - the dough will be sticky and stringy as it comes out of the bowl.) Cover loosely with plastic again and let rest for 15 minutes.

5. Flour a cotton towel (not terry cloth - linty!) and set it on a flat surface, then take the dough, quickly shape it into a ball and place it, seam side down, on floured towel. Sprinkle top surface of dough with flour and cover with another towel, let rise for 2 more hours. (I swear by the nice, cheap flour sack towels from IKEA for this, but any thin, non-terry cotton towel will do). I place the towels into a round proofing basket, but it is ok to leave on the counter, too.

6. Preheat oven to 450* placing a large, covered 6-8 qt. cooking pot - cast iron, enamel, ceramic, or (my favorite) stoneware in to preheat at the same time - about 15 min. before 2nd rising is done.

7. After 2nd rising, dough should double in size and keep its shape when poked gently with a finger. Carefully take cooking pot out and set it on stovetop or insulated surface. Sprinkle in some cornmeal to lightly coat surface of pot. Uncover dough, and quickly invert into cooking pot - shake the pot a bit to center the dough if needed, but don't sweat it, even if it looks bad or a bit uneven, it will look fine after it bakes.

8. Cover pot and bake 20 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20 miuntes until it is a nice, deep golden brown. Bread, when done, will sound hollow if you knock on it. Slice and serve warm with your favorite meal.

This is a great, rustic bread! It is dense and chewy, with large "pores." It is fine on its own, with butter or oil & herbs, and compliments your fave soups, stews, salads, etc. You can slice it thin for panini and broiled/grilled mini pizzas or garlic bread. Any leftovers can be used for croutons OR for Tuscan Bread Soup. (I'll post that one in the Fall).

Buon Apetito - and enjoy!

P.S. About the stoneware - I use a covered "cloche" (bell-shaped) pan. It makes a flatter, disc-shaped loaf. You can get one for about $40 from any number of manufacturers, mine's from Sassafrass - it's versatile (you can bake bread, casseroles, pizza, etc. in it) and IMHO, nothing works better for bread baking. Except maybe a bread machine, but Wiley bit the cord off that a few years back...