Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [53]
The great house this particular recipe comes from is Villa Cappezzana, whose mistress, Countess Lisa Contini Bonacossi, is not only one of the most gifted of Tuscan cooks, but fortunately, one of the most hospitable. Equally fortunate for the guests that are always turning up at Cappezzana, among the red wines her husband Ugo and son Vittorio make are two that in Tuscany stand out for their refinement, Carmignano and Ghiaie della Furba.
For 6 servings
4 cups onion sliced rather thick, about ⅓ inch
Salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cups celery chopped fine, the leaves included
3 cups Savoy cabbage shredded very fine
2 cups kale leaves, chopped very fine
1 cup fresh, ripe, firm tomato, skinned raw with a peeler, seeds removed, and cut into ¼-inch dice
8 fresh basil leaves, torn into 2 or 3 pieces
1 bouillon cube
⅓ cup dried cannellini beans, soaked and cooked and drained
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
An oven-to-table ceramic casserole with a lid
12 thin toasted slices day-old Tuscan-style or other good country bread OR Olive Oil Bread
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 eggs
1. Choose a saucepan that can subsequently contain all the vegetables and beans and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Put in the onion, some salt, ¼ cup olive oil, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the onion, turning it over occasionally, until it wilts. Add the chopped celery, turning it over to coat it well, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Savoy cabbage, turn it over well, cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chopped kale leaves, turning them over and cooking them briefly as just described. Add the diced tomato and the basil, turning them over once or twice, then add the bouillon cube with enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Cover tightly and cook for at least 2 and possibly 3 hours, replenishing the water when necessary to maintain its original level.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Put the drained, cooked beans and several grindings of pepper in the pot with the vegetables, stir, taste, and correct for salt and pepper.
4. Line the bottom of the ceramic casserole with the sliced bread. Pour over it the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, then the vegetable broth from the pot, then all the vegetables and beans in the pot. Sprinkle over it half the grated Parmesan.
5. Put the lemon juice in a small skillet together with 1½ inches or more of water, and turn the heat on to medium. When the liquid comes to a simmer, adjust the heat to maintain it thus without letting it come to a fast boil. Break 1 egg into a saucer and slide it into the pan. Spoon a little of the simmering liquid over the egg as it cooks. When, in about 3 minutes, the egg white becomes set and turns a dull, flat color, but the yolk is still runny, retrieve the egg with a slotted spoon and slide it over the vegetables in the casserole. Repeat the procedure with the other 5 eggs, placing the eggs side by side.
6. Sprinkle salt and the remaining Parmesan cheese over the eggs. Cover the casserole and place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. After taking the dish out of the oven, uncover and let the contents settle for several minutes before serving. When serving, make sure each guest gets some of the bread from the bottom of the dish and an egg.
Ahead-of-time note You may complete the soup up to this point several hours or even a day in advance. When keeping it overnight, if you have a cold place to store it, it would be preferable to use it instead of the refrigerator, which tends to give cooked