Brodo = Consommè

• Meat (500 grams) if possible two different cuts
• A piece of a leg
• A bone (spongy like)
• Half hen
• One onion
• Two carrots
• Celery
• Two little ripe tomateos
• Salt

Put all the ingredients into a big pot together with 3 litres of water, add the salt and boil slowly for 2 hours. If you have little time you can use a pressure cooker for 1 hour or 45 minutes. Filter the consommé. You can eat the meat and the hen with a good sauce like salsa verde= green sauce - the recipe is above - or/and mayonnaise). Put the consommé into the refrigerator, when it is cold you can skim it. You can drink your consommé at the beginning of a meal or prepare a good soup.

Stracciatella = Stracciatella soup

• Consommé
• One egg per person
• Grated parmesan
• Nutmeg

Shake the eggs add, the parmesan, a little nutmeg powder and put all into the boiling consommé (one big cup per person). Cook for few minutes mixing. Serve with more parmesan.

Pasta e fagioli = Pasta and beans

• 200 grams of pasta (short and scored)
• 200 grams of dry beans (500 if fresh) or a can of white beans
• 2 garlic coves
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Chilli
• One spoon of tomato puree
• Olive oil
• Salt

Boil the beans (left in soak one night if dry) in 1,500 l. of water with salt, one cove of garlic and two leaves of sage and two spoon of olive oil. When hey are ready, puree them and put the purée in its water. In another pan place 5 spoons of olive oil, a garlic cove, a little rosemary and a little chilli. As soon as the garlic is getting brown add the tomato puree and after a few minutes add the beans puree (take off the garlic and the other leaves) when all is boiling add the pasta and if necessary some hot water. Serve the soup tepid and with a little more olive oil.

Minestra di farro = Farro soup

Farro is an ancient spelt if you can find it out of Italy, you are very lucky. Anyway you cal also prepare this soup with barley or wheat.

• Farro (spelt) 150 grams
• Red beans (200 grams if dry) or one can
• Two garlic coves
• Sage
• Tomato puree (2 spoons)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Chilli

In 1500 grams of water and salt, boil the beans when they are ready, take off half of then and mix, replace the puree into the pan. In another pan put 5 spoons of oil the garlic and the sage, fry for little time and then add the puree of beans, the beans and their water, the tomato puree, the chilli; add also the farro and boil for about one hour (if necessary add water). Serve the soup after one hour.

Minestrone toscano di verdure = Tuscan vegetable soup (for 6 people)

• Riso or pasta (200 grams)
• White beans (“00 grams if dry or one can)
• Chard
• One black cabbage
• ¼ savoy cabbage
• One piece of pumpikin
• 2 leeks
• 2 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• Celery (one stalk)
• One onion
• One garlic cove
• Some green peas
• One spoon of tomato pureee
• Consommé (or water)
• Grated parmesan
• Olive oil
• Salt

Clean and cut the vegetables in little pieces. Mince one carrot, the onion and a piece of celery. Put into a pan half glass of olive oil and brown the minced vegetables. Add all the other vegetables and the water. Boil for about one hour. Now add the pasta or the rice and in a few minutes your soup is ready. Finish with grated parmesan.

Pappa al pomodoro = Florentine tomato soup

This soup was made to use old dry bread and it is a very good soup even now.

• Tuscan old bread (300 grams)
• Ripe tomatoes or peeld tomatoes (500 grams)
• 2 coves of garlic
• Basil
• Consommé (1 l)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Brown into a pan 6 spoons of oil and the garlic. Add the tomatoes you had cut into little pieces and much basil, add salt, pepper and cook for 15 minutes. Add the consommé and when it is near to boil add the bread you cut in slices. Cook for 10 minutes mixing. Switch off the fire and wait one hour to allow the bred to melt. Do not use parmesan or cheese