Soups are very popular as primi, or first course, in all Italian regions, and they are natural dishes to cook in the slow cooker because the best soups are those that are slowly simmered over hours to blend the flavors and showcase the various ingredients. And that’s what the slow cooker does best.

You’ll find a range of small soups in this chapter. Most of them feature some sort of meat, especially sausage and other cured pork products such as pancetta and prosciutto as accent flavors. However, these can be transformed into vegetarian soups by omitting the meat and substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock specified. There are also a number of fish and seafood stews in Chapter 5 that can be served as primi in smaller portions, and all appropriate recipes have been annotated with the number of servings.

At the end of this chapter are a few other small dishes, including some wonderful Italian omelets, called frittata, which can be served hot, at room temperature, or chilled. These are similar to the tortillas served in Spanish tapas bars, and the slow cooker makes them beautifully because the gentle heat does not toughen the eggs.