Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [58]
Barley Soup in the Style of Trent
ONE OF THE outstanding features of the cooking of the northeastern region of Friuli and the neighboring Trentino is barley soup. The one given below owes its exceptional appeal to the successive layers of flavor laid down by the sautéed onion and ham, by the rosemary and parsley, and by the diced potato and carrot, which provide the ideal base for the wonderfully fortifying quality of barley itself.
For 4 servings
1¼ cups pearl barley
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
⅓ cup prosciutto OR pancetta OR country ham OR boiled unsmoked ham, chopped fine
½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves OR 1 teaspoon fresh chopped very fine
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 medium potato
2 small carrots or 1 large
1 bouillon cube
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Put the barley in a soup pot, add enough water to cover by 3 inches, put a lid on the pot, bring the water to a slow, but steady simmer, and cook for 1 hour or until the barley is fully tender but not mushy.
2. While the barley is cooking, put all the oil and the chopped onion in a small skillet, and turn on the heat to medium. Sauté the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, and add the chopped ham, cooking it for 2 to 3 minutes and stirring it from time to time. Add the rosemary and parsley, stir thoroughly, and after a minute or less, turn off the heat.
3. Peel both the potato and carrot, rinse in cold water, and dice them fine (they should yield approximately ⅔ cup each).
4. When the barley is done, pour the entire contents of the skillet into the pot, add the diced potato and carrot, the bouillon cube, salt, and several grindings of pepper. Add a little more water if the soup appears to be too dense. It should be neither too thick nor too thin. Cook at a steady simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.
5. Off heat, just before serving, swirl the grated cheese into the pot. Serve promptly.
Ahead-of-time note The soup may be prepared one or two days in advance, but add the grated cheese only when you reheat it.
Broccoli and Egg Barley Soup
THE BARLEY in this soup is a coarse-grained homemade pasta product that is described in the pasta chapter, and it seems to have just the texture and consistency one wants here. One can, however, substitute cooked true barley, or, less satisfactorily, the small, grainy boxed soup pasta. One of the charms of this soup is the way the broccoli stems and florets are used, both sautéed in garlic and olive oil, but the first puréed to provide body, while the florets become delicious bite-size pieces, their tenderness in lively contrast to the chewy firmness of the pasta or real barley.
For 6 servings
A medium bunch fresh broccoli
Salt
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 cups Basic Homemade Meat Broth
⅔ cup manfrigul, homemade pasta barley, OR cooked barley, OR ½ cup small, coarse, boxed soup pasta
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table
1. Detach the broccoli florets from the stalks. Trim away about ½ inch from the tough butt end of the stalks. With a sharp paring knife, peel away the dark green skin on the stalks and on the thicker stems of the florets. Split very thick stems in two lengthwise. Soak all the stalks and florets in cold water, drain, and rinse in fresh cold water.
2. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, which will keep the broccoli green, and put in the stalks. When the water returns to a boil, wait 2 minutes, then add the florets. If they float to the surface, dunk them from time to time to keep them from losing color. When the water returns to a boil again, wait 1 minute, then retrieve all the broccoli with a colander scoop or slotted spoon. Do not discard the water in the pot.
3. Choose a sauté pan that can accommodate all the stalks and florets without