Tuscan Bread, Tomato and Basil Soup
Chestnut, Pumpkin and Farro Soup
Asparagus Broth with Grilled Crostini
Cannellini Bean and Parsley Soup
The Italian soups we cook have been chosen not only because they are the ones we like most but because they convey our approach to cooking so well. They are robust and thick and are often served as an alternative to risotto or pasta.
We have picked soups that reflect both the different regions and seasons. Broth soups from North Italy, like Risi Bisi Verde, a soupy risotto made only in the early summer with peas, spinach, rice and Parmesan; bread soups like Summer Ribollita, thickened with fresh cannellini beans and seasoned with summer herbs; and the famous very, very simple Pappa al Pomodoro which has only four ingredients and is so regional that you would hardly find it outside Tuscany. From Puglia in the south of Italy we chose to make our favourite fish soup – Spicy Mussel Soup – the key ingredients being tomatoes and fiery chilli.
In the autumn series we show you how to make Pumpkin, Chestnut and Farro Soup. These ingredients are all harvested, and are at their best, from October to December. In Tuscany, in the first week of November, the pressing of the new season’s olive oil starts. This oil has a very special, intensely peppery flavour and gives us the perfect reason to make Cannellini Bean and Parsley Soup.
We hope that making these soups with their distinctive characteristics will inspire you to adopt our approach to ingredients, choosing them with real care and preparing them in a precise and exciting way.
The word ‘ribollita’ means ‘re-boiled’, and traditionally was applied to leftover minestrone which was reheated on the second day and served with added bread. The classic ribollita is made with dried beans and cavolo nero, a winter vegetable. Our summer ribollita uses fresh cannellini beans, Swiss chard and summer herbs.
The soffritto forms the base of the soup. Onions, celery, chard stalks and herbs are cooked together gently for the soffritto which is particularly important to the taste as there is no stock to enrich the flavour. The best extra virgin olive oil is an essential ingredient.
This simple, thick soup is found only in Tuscany, where there are almost as many local versions as there are local cooks. Every small trattoria will have Pappa al Pomodoro on the menu, especially in late summer when tomatoes and basil are at their best. Our version relies on really ripe and flavourful tomatoes (although good-quality tinned can be substituted), the pungency of fresh basil, summer garlic and extra virgin olive oil. The bread used must have strength, and should ideally be a sourdough bread such as ciabatta or Pugliese, both of which are made with olive oil.
Made only in October and November (when chestnuts and pumpkins are in season) this is a typical River Cafe soup. The flavour comes from the chestnuts which are very sweet, and the pumpkin which is roasted to concentrate the taste. The first two ingredients are soft and floury, so the farro, which is soaked and cooked separately, is added to give texture.
The best chickens to use when making stocks are free-range boilers. This stock should taste of chicken rather than vegetables and herbs; simply use carrots, onions and celery, keeping both the chicken and the vegetables whole. It is cooked for less time than the more traditional methods in order to achieve a lighter stock.
Use turbot bones and halibut and monkfish trimmings to make this fish stock. Put them with herbs and vegetables which complement fish – for example, bay, fennel and fennel seeds, chillies and parsley stalks. White wine or dry vermouth adds perfume and depth to the stock. Cook the ingredients gently for only 20 minutes.
‘Zuppa di poveri’ (‘soup of the poor’) was one of the first soups we cooked in the River Cafe when we made it with purple sprouting broccoli. This version uses wild asparagus or thin sprue. The basis of the soup is a good chicken stock – very much part of the Italian kitchen– with toasted bread and grated Parmesan which melts into the broth.
Risi bisi is the risotto traditionally cooked in Venice when the new peas come into season. This recipe has the addition of spinach and mint which go well with peas. Looking a dramatic bright green, the recipe is a cross between a thick soup and a soupy risotto.
This is a favourite Italian way of using beans. It is incredibly simple with only three basic ingredients: parsley, garlic and beans. It should be seasoned well before pouring on fine, peppery Tuscan oil.
This Neapolitan recipe is made with generous amounts of mussels, chillies, anchovies and tomatoes to create a dense, hot, peppery soup.
Chickpeas vary in size; use the largest ones you can find. More importantly, ask for the new season’s chickpeas – the ones harvested in August and September. The skins of old chickpeas become tough, the flavour fades, and they will take almost twice as long to cook.
‘Acquacotta’ means ‘cooked water’ in Italian. These soups are made with toasted bread, vegetables and water rather than stock. This version combines the flavours of potatoes, cannellini beans and ricotta with the sharp taste of bitter greens. This is a wonderful soup to enjoy with the new season’s spicy green olive oil.
