Soup of Fresh Greens and Alphabets

Soup of Fresh Greens and Alphabets

Copyright: The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

8 cups (double recipe) Cheater's Homemade Broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, crushed with your hands (do not use canned crushed tomatoes)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium to large onion, minced
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 large handfuls curly endive leaves, fine chopped (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
1/3 tight-packed cup fresh basil leaves, fine chopped
1/2 cup tiny pasta (alphabets, orzo, or stars)
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
1 cup or more fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)

In a 6-quart pot, combine the broth, wine, and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, chickpeas, greens, and basil. Simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes or until onions are tender.

Stir in the pasta and simmer, partially covered, for 6 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Taste the soup for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, passing the cheese at the table.

Cheater's Homemade Broth

November 1, 2008

Reprinted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2008). Copyright 2008 by American Public Media

Makes about 4 cups; doubles and triples easily.
10 minutes prep time; 12 minutes stove time
This is good warm and cool and keeps in the refrigerator for a day or two

• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed (leave unpeeled if organic)
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 canned tomato
• 1 bay leaf, broken
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
• Three 14-ounce cans chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 medium to large onion, coarse chopped (if organic, trim away root but leave skin)
• 1/2 large celery stalk with leaves, coarse chopped
• 1/2 medium carrot, coarse chopped (leave unpeeled if organic)

1. In a 4-quart pot, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

2. Strain the broth into a bowl or a storage container. Either use it right away, refrigerate it, or freeze it.