make sure you try the soup in Lucca

one of the best meals we had in Italy was in a restaurant that we stumbled upon at around 10:30pm after a long day of train rides and touring. It was a little too late at night to expect a reasonable dinner, but we sat down at the first restaurant we saw that still had people eating outside, and were excited to find that a) they were still serving dinner and b) that the first page of the menu at Trattoria Da Francesco was a review by Mark Bittman, food writer for the New York Times and author of my favorite cookbook How to Cook Everything. Although the review was more than four years old, he mentioned that the restaurant did a nice job with all of the local specialties, especially the soup, "make sure you try the soup."

The three main Luccan specialties are tortelli lucchese (meat filled crescent-shaped ravioli with ragu), sea bass (usually grilled whole) and a farro soup with beans and lentils (farro is a barleylike grain often referred to as "cereal").  The ravioli was good, very meaty. The sea bass arrived grilled whole and stuffed with one sprig of rosemary, it was fresh and the prototype of a simple, delicious dish. The star of the night, or so I felt, and the hands-down-best-thing I ate in all of Italy was the Cereal Soup, it didn't even sound good, but I ordered it because Mark Bittman said to try it and I trust him. He was right, and I was very pleased with my choice. I checked Mark's blog and he's already gone above and beyond to post the recipe for the masses.  Here it is, Cereal Soup from Lucca, delicious and a must try.

outside our room in Lucca.

walking through the square.

the center of Lucca.

The St. Martin Cathedral in Lucca.

LUCCAN FARRO SOUP
Recipe from Mark Bittman

Mark says, "If you can't find farro, use spelt. And if you can't find spelt, use barley. (And if you can't find barley -- where do you live? -- use wheatberries or brown rice."

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup farro, spelt or barley
• 1 cup dried white beans, soaked for several hours or overnight
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; do not drain)
• 6 cups stock or water, more as necessary
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, optional
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Method

• 1. Put oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.
• 2. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil (if using), then cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of Parmesan.

spicy & savory tamale pie with polenta

my mom introduced me to this delicious Tex-Mexican standby. It's a great one to keep in your arsenal of easy recipes, as it's good on a warm spring or summer day, or even in the winter when you're looking for something spicy.  Basically, a dish for all seasons, as they say.  Plus, it's pretty much all the same ingredients as tacos, but it changes things up by using polenta rather than tacos.

Tamale Pie with Polenta
For filling:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 packet taco seasoning (I use spicy)
1 can of seasoned chili or pinto beans
1 (8 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes
1 cup salsa or enchilada sauce
1 cup grated cheese
For Polenta:

3 cups water

1 cup corn grits

1 tsp. salt

Begin by heating olive oil, add onion, garlic and pepper, saute and add ground turkey and taco seasoning.  Saute until turkey is cooked through.  Add can of chili or pinto beans and the can of mexican tomatoes.

In a separate pot make the polenta. Bring the salted water to a boil and slowly stir in polenta.  Stir for about 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Add more salt if needed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9x12 baking dish or pie pan.  Spread polenta in a thin layer on the bottom of the pan.  Cover with turkey and veggie filling.  Cover with salsa or enchilada sauce. Cover the entire mixture with cheese.  Bake for 15-25 minutes or until cheese is melted to your liking.  

the big soup

a tasty soup for chilly fall days. this soup is very forgiving, making it easy to improvise and include whatever beans, grains or veggies you wish to use or have on hand.

MINESTRONE

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

3-4 celery stalks, diced

1/2 cup chopped prosciutto or ham (optional)

6 cloves garlic, diced

2 cups potatoes, chopped into cubes

salt and pepper

6 cups chicken stalk

2 cans diced tomatoes, including juices

2 cups zucchini, chopped into cubes

1/2 cup green beans

1/2 cup kidney beans

1/2 cup cannellini beans

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Parmesan rind

1/2 cup pasta, such as ditalini or barley (optional)*

Heat the olive oil on medium heat and saute onions, carrots and celery until tender. Add in the prosciutto (or ham) and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant and thoroughly cooked. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add the stock, tomatoes and Parmesan rind. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook about 30 minutes. Add the zucchini and different beans, along with the parsley. Add in the pasta and cover, cooking at a simmer until ready to serve. Serve with parsley and grated parmesan.

*Note pasta will continue to expand even during refrigeration. If you intend to eat over multiple days, add cooked pasta at serving time and store pasta separately for future servings.