Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
 
A Lighter Zuppa Etrusca
 
This creamy, fragrant winter soup is an oil-free, lighter interpretation of Il Luogo Aimo e Nadia’s original soup, created by the Milanese couple for their restaurant in the 1960s, and now  reprised by its current chefs at Il Luogo. It’s a wonderful amalgam of legumes, winter vegetables, aromatics, Tuscan herbs, and farro. Peasant fare in modern garb. This oil-free version is aromatic and comforting but more digestible and nourishing. Perfect winter fare. This dish is slow-cooking at its best, and calls for home-cooked beans and homemade broth, which elevate it to another level. This is a fine dish to make on a cold, gray wintry afternoon. Your kitchen will smell divine!
 
Prep Overnight soak of legumes plus 2 hours 
Cook 1 hour 
Serves 8 to 10
 
Hint: If you simply don’t have time, substitute sodium-free broth and beans, but this recipe sings if you have the time to cook them yourself. 
 
Vegetable broth (primarily scraps from the soup’s prep)
Stems of lacinato kale, cut in 1-inch pieces
¼ medium savoy cabbage, cut in 1-inch pieces
Peels from 1 medium-large carrot
Leaves and central tender stalks from celery
Onion skins, tops and bottoms of onion, plus one additional onion, cut in large dice 
Garlic skins plus 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
Leek greens, well cleaned, sliced in 1-inch pieces
Spinach and chard stems, cut in 1-inch pieces
Green or Romano beans tips and ends
Tips and ends of 4 medium-small zucchini
Potato peels 
Grinds of black pepper
 
Soup Ingredients
½ cup raw cannellini beans
1 ½  cups raw lower starch white bean like Tarbais, or navy
1 ½  cups raw chickpeas
4 large sprigs of fresh sage
4 4-inch stalks of fresh rosemary
½ cup farro
1 red onion, cut in medium dice
1 leek, whites only, cut first 1/4-inch strips and then 1-inch lengths
2 stalks celery, cut in medium dice
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 medium-large carrot, cut in medium dice
1 head garlic to roast whole, plus 6 whole cloves, peeled, and 2 cloves, minced
1 medium bunch lacinato kale, leaves only, cut in 1-inch pieces
½ medium savoy cabbage leaves, cut in 1-inch pieces
½ pound green and/or flat Romano beans, stems and tips removed, cut in ½-inch pieces
4 medium-small white potatoes, peeled, cut in medium dice
4 medium-small zucchini, tips and ends removed, cut in medium dice
1 bunch Swiss chard leaves only, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 bunch spinach leaves only, large leaves torn in half
Grinds of black pepper
White miso paste, 1 to 2 tablespoons per bowlful or to taste
Garnish with chopped chives and a pinch of fennel pollen

 
Prep all the vegetables, separating out the peels, scraps, skins, tips and ends to make a broth. Add the broth vegetables to a medium saucepan, add with cold water to cover the contents by 2 inches, cover the pan, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. Top up with water as needed. When ready, the vegetables should be quite soft and the broth should be fragrant.  Strain the broth and discard the broth vegetables or put to another use.
Peel the outer skins of a head of garlic but take care to keep the head intact. Use the skins for the broth. Preheat an oven to 375°F. Roast the head for 20 to 30 minutes or until it is soft and fragrant. Peel each clove. 
Wash the cannellini, Tarbais or navy beans, and chickpeas. Soak each overnight in its own bowl with cool water covering by 4 inches. Rinse. Place each legume in a stainless pot. Cover with water by 2 inches. Add a large clove of garlic to each pot and a sprig of sage and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Cook the cannellini until they melt into the pot liquor. Cook the chickpeas and Tarbais/navy beans until they are tender but intact. This could take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the age of the beans. Drain the legumes, removing the herbs and garlic, but retain the cooking liquor, some of which we might need for the soup.
Strip the stems from a new sprig of sage and stalk of rosemary. Add the herb leaves, the peeled cloves of roasted garlic, and the cooked cannellini to a standing high-speed blender or to a deep bowl to blend with an immersion blender. Add only as much pot liquor as needed to create a very smooth sauce, having the consistency of a white sauce. This sauce will bind and flavor the soup in step 9.
In a small saucepan add the rinsed farro with a small ladle of broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and gently cook until the grains are slightly al dente, in 20 to 30 minutes. Keep the mix slightly dry and add just as much broth as you need to prevent the grains from drying out or sticking.
Heat a large soup pot for 3 minutes over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion, white leeks, celery, and fennel seeds, stirring. Cover and gently sweat the aromatics for 5 minutes. 
Now stir in the carrots, garlic, kale, cabbage, potatoes, green and/or Romano beans, adding just enough broth to promote cooking and prevent sticking. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the cooked Tarbais/navy beans and chickpeas, and the rest of the broth. Cover and bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, chard, and spinach. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Pepper the soup to taste. Stir in several cups of the cannellini purée until the soup is creamy but not overly dense. Dilute with a cup of the reserved pot liquor, if necessary.
Serve in warmed bowls. Season each bowl with white miso to taste, dissolving it very well. Garnish with chopped chives and a pinch of fennel pollen.