Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [49]
3. Add the diced potatoes, turn up the heat to high, and sauté the potatoes briskly, turning them in the onions to coat them well.
4. Add the broth, cover the pot, and adjust the heat so that the broth comes to a slow, steady boil. When the potatoes are very tender, pulp most of them by mashing them against the side of the pot with a long wooden spoon. Stir thoroughly and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. If you find the soup becoming too thick, add up to a ladleful of broth or, if you are not using homemade broth, add water.
5. Before turning off the heat, swirl in the grated Parmesan and the parsley, then taste and correct for salt. Ladle into individual plates or bowls and serve with additional grated cheese on the side.
Potato and Green Pea Soup
THE ENDEARING FLAVOR of this soup derives from a juxtaposition of sweetness and savoriness. The sweetness is largely owed to the peas, leading to the following consideration: If the fresh peas in the market are of the local, peak-of-season, young, and juicy variety, they are obviously your first choice; if they are mealy, very mature, out-of-town peas, you are better off with frozen ones.
For 4 to 6 servings
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups onion cut into very thin slices
Salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into paper-thin slices
3 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into very, very fine dice
Basic Homemade Meat Broth, enough to cover all ingredients by 2 inches, OR 1 beef bouillon cube
2 pounds fresh peas, unshelled weight, OR 1 ten-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table
1. Choose a saucepan that can subsequently contain all the ingredients comfortably, put in the butter, oil, sliced onion, and a large pinch of salt, turn the heat on to low, and cover the pan. Cook the onion, turning it occasionally, until it becomes very soft and has shed all its liquid. Then uncover the pan, turn up the heat to medium, and cook, stirring once or twice, until all the liquid has bubbled away and the onion has become colored a tawny gold.
2. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring once or twice, until it becomes colored a pale gold. Add the potato dice, turning them several times during a minute or two to coat them well, then add enough broth to cover by 2 inches, or equivalent quantity of water together with a bouillon cube. Turn the heat down to cook at a slow, steady simmer, cover the pan, and cook for about 30 minutes.
3. Add the shelled fresh peas or thawed ones. If using fresh peas, cook another 10 minutes or more until they are done, replenishing the liquid if it falls below the original level. (Expect a substantial quantity of the fine potato dice to dissolve.) If using frozen peas, cook until they lose their raw taste, about 4 or 5 minutes. Taste and correct for salt. Add a few grindings of pepper, stir, and serve at once, with grated Parmesan on the side.
Ahead-of-time note You can make the soup a day in advance, and reheat it gently just before serving.
Potato Soup with Split Green Peas
For 6 servings
2 medium boiling potatoes
½ pound split dried green peas
5 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth, OR 1 cup canned beef broth diluted with 4 cups water OR 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 5 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus additional cheese at the table
Salt
Crostini, fried bread squares
1. Peel the potatoes and cut them up into small pieces. Rinse in cold water and drain.
2. Rinse the split peas in cold water and drain.
3. Put the potatoes and peas in a soup pot together with 3 cups of broth, cover, turn on the heat to medium, and cook at a gentle boil until both the potatoes and the peas are tender. Turn off the