‘Cut into thin slices, and not too long, a few celery stalks, carrots, savoy cabbage, turnips and leeks and fry them in butter for a short time, and then pour them into the broth to finish cooking, and use them later to moisten the bread.’ (from Il Cuoco senza Pretese)
Serves 8
100 g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
8 slices pugliese bread or other good country-type white bread
450 g (1 lb) vegetables: potato, turnip (if available), onion, carrot, celery
2 leeks, white part only
100 g (3 1/2 oz) Savoy cabbage leaves
sea salt and pepper
1.5 litres (2 1/2 pints) stock (see here or here)
freshly grated Parmesan
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) mark 6.
Melt the butter in a stockpot. Place the bread slices on a baking tray and, using a pastry brush, moisten one side with a little melted butter. Place the tray in the oven for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the bread in the oven
Peel and wash the potato, turnip, onion and carrot, keeping them, and all the following vegetables, separate from each other for the moment. Cut into short matchsticks and dry with kitchen paper. Wash the celery stalks, remove the thread and cut into matchsticks. Thoroughly wash and trim the leeks. Cut them into matchsticks and the cabbage into thin ribbons.
Add the potato, turnip and onion to the stockpot and sauté for 5 minutes over a slow heat. Season with a pinch of salt, which will prevent the vegetables browning. They should just soften a little.
Now add the carrot and celery and cook for 3 minutes, still very gently, stirring frequently. Finally add the leek and the cabbage and gently sauté them too, for a minute or two, turning them over and over. While the vegetables are cooking, bring the stock to the boil. Pour the stock over the vegetables, add pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until the potato and turnip are cooked. The other vegetables can be crunchy, but undercooked potato or turnip are definitely unpleasant. Taste and check the seasonings.
Put the toasted bread in individual soup bowls and ladle the soup over it. Serve at once, handing the Parmesan round separately.
preparation
If necessary, the soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated in a covered container. In this case you must turn the heat off as soon as the broth is boiling. Reheat the soup and simmer gently until the vegetables are ready.