Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Neapolitan-style zucchini soup


This is a recipe I adapted from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups - the author has some things in his which I don't include in mine.  It's a thin, delicate soup - good for summer, as long as it's not too hot for soup.
And fast - I made it after work yesterday with very little effort.

Thinly slice 7 small zucchini (or maybe 5 medium or 3-4 large*), but don't worry too much about thinness - zucchini cooks quickly, after all. Cook it for a bit in 3 T. of butter, (I used half olive oil, half butter - I think some butter flavor helps.) Then add 6 cups weak chicken broth (I used water with one Knorr chicken cube), plus 1 tsp. dried parsley and the same amount of basil.  Bring to a boil and add some small pasta like ditalini - a half cup, maybe.  Boil it twenty minutes, add salt to taste and it's done. I recently discovered that it's especially nice with rice rather than pasta - it gives it an elegance somehow. But the pasta makes it more substantial.

 * When I did this, I had 4 large zucchini. It was quite a lot, and I ended up using 10 cups of water, but still used one cube - I just use it for a bit of flavor that it wouldn't have without.  If you don't like delicate flavors, this is not for you!

3 comments:

  1. I have considered purchasing this cookbook several times. This soup looks like something my guys would really enjoy.

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  2. I like the cookbook, Dindi - the recipes make large amounts, for the most part.

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  3. this looks very good. can't wait for fresh zucchini from the garden.

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