SOUP:

HAMBURGER SOUP:

1 1/2 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cans consume'
1 can tomato soup
4  medium carrots diced
1 bay leaf
3 stalks diced celery
parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
8 heaping Tbs. of pot barley. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  Very large recipe but freezes well.

EV-Canada
 

Italian Bean and Pasta Soup ( Pasta e Fagioli )

2 cups dried cranberry, cannellini or other small white beans *see note
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta or bacon.
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water or chicken broth, or as needed
1 1/2 cups diced canned plum tomatoes
2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. small dried pasta such as shells or ditalini
Extra-virgin olive oil for serving, Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Pick over the beans and discard any misshapen beans and stones. Rinse the beans, drain and place in a saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.  Drain.* see note
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil.  Add the pancetta and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes more.
Add the water, beans, tomatoes and 2 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour.  To give the soup more body, remove 2 large spoonfuls of beans and vegetables and puree in a blender or food processor, then return the puree to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and reheat gently.

When the soup is almost ready, bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir well and cook until barely al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 8 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain pasta and add to the soup. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes more.

To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Top each serving with a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, some grated Parmesan cheese and a liberal grinding of pepper.
*Note:  If you don't want to use dried beans, try canned Northern beans or cannellini beans, this way you eliminate the bean cleaning step.  Also, If you have made the soup in advance, add the cooked pasta when reheating the soup, as the pasta can become mushy if it stands too long in the soup.

Passatelli ( Parmesan, Egg and Nutmeg Soup )

6 cups basic meat broth
2 medium eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup fine, plain bread crumbs

Put the broth in a medium pot and bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat.   Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a medium bowl with a fork.  Always using a fork,  mix in the nutmeg, Parmigiano and bread crumbs. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and work into a soft dough. Place the dough on a pastry board and give it a brief kneading adding a bit more cheese and bread crumbs if it is too soft or moist.  At this point you should have a somewhat firm, granular dough. (The dough can be made an hour or so ahead and set aside, covered, until ready to use.)
When the broth begins to boil, put half the dough into a potato ricer or food mill fitted with that large hole disk and rice the dough directly into the simmering broth. Repeat with the remaining dough. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the passatelli for about 1 minute.
Turn off the heat under the pot and let the soup rest for about 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and serve hot with a sprinkle of a little extra grated Parmigiano.

Tinker
 

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