Tuscan Potato Soup

This is a great soup just in time for the beginning of spring. There are variations in the ingredients used so i have added them in brackets.

Zuppa Toscana 
Ingredients:

2 Italian sausages (remove from casing and crumble. Zalzett malti would also do!)
A few slices of pancetta
2 potatoes, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1/4" slices
3/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups kale leaves, cut in half, then sliced
chicken broth, one carton or about 1 ltr
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (or you can also use about 4 tbs of Philadelphia cream cheese)
salt and pepper to taste

Method.
Put onions, carrots and celery in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Add garlic and potatoes  to the onions and cook an additional 1minute. Add chicken broth,and bring to a boil. .Add the sausage and bring to a simmer.Let simmer for about 5 mins or until sausage is cooked. Add kale and cream. Season.Simmer for about 5-10 minutes and serve.

Avocado Gazpacho

Something cool for the summer evenings...the lobster makes a nice touch! Another recipe of unknown origin so if there is anyone out there who knows where this came from let me know!

I have a whole box of recipes I collected and unfortunately I never wrote where they came from, so unless i remember I cannot give credit to the author!

Ingredients:

3 avocados

juice of 1 line

100 gms onion, diced

150 gms red bell pepper, diced

150 gms tomato, diced

15 gms cilantro, minced

2 teaspoons coriander

8 gms cumin

5 cloves garlic, roasted

3 cups water

for garnish

300 gms lobster , chopped

1 whole scallion, chopped fine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pinch saffron

salt and white pepper, to taste

Method

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits.
2. Scoop the meat into a bowl and discard the skin. Pour the lime juice over and set aside.
3. Put the tomatoes, onions, red peppers, roasted garlic, cilantro, coriander, and cumin in a bowl and mix.
4. Put the avocados and water in a blender. Lightly pulse so the avocados are just broken up. You do NOT want a smooth consistency.
5. Add to the diced veggies and season with salt and pepper.

For the garnish:
6. Boil the lobster meat for approximately 8 minutes or until nicely firm.
7. Shock it with an ice bath and then drain well, removing all extra water. Roughly chop.
8. In a small bowl, mix the lobster, scallions, olive oil, and saffron together.
9. Season with salt and pepper. Chill and set aside

To Serve:

Put the vegetable mixture into serving bowls and garnish with the lobster mix.

Aljotta - Fish Soup Maltese Style

Maltese Fish Soup (Aljotta) SERVES 6

Malta is - or was - a devoutly Catholic country, and this soup was very popular during Lent, when one could not eat meat. Using the whole fish—head and tail included—will add flavor to the soup, and is also a reflection of the frugal Maltese housewife! I have seen several recipes on line that omit one important thing - the rice which was added to turn the soup into a whole meal.

INGREDIENTS

800g small fish (traditionally rock fish, substitutes include halibut, flounder and snapper) cleaned and cut into 4 pieces

8 cups water (and a fish stock cube if available)

pepper & salt

1 medium onion

bay leaf

3 cloves of garlic

mint, fresh if available

2 tablespoons oil

2 lemons (one for juice one for decoration)

100 gms. white rice

6 tomatoes

Use a pot large enough to add enough water to cover the mixture

METHOD

chop the onion and garlic and fry in the oil until soft.

Chop tomatoes and add to the onions.

Add the herbs and enough water (with or without fish stock cube) to make the soup

Wait until the mixture boils and then add the fish.

Cook slowly until the fish is cooked.

Take fish from pot with a slotted spoon, allow to cool a bit, and remove head, tail, skin, and bones.

Strain the remaining mixture

Put the strained liquid back on the stove and add the rice.

Cook until the rice is soft.

Put the fish pieces back

Add a squeeze of lemon and serve hot with lemon wedges and parsley as garnish

Minestra (Maltese Version)

This is a great way of using up veggies!

Ingredients

2 carrots
2 courgettes
2 cloves garlic
1 large onion
4 medium potatoes
1 turnip or 1 kohl rabi
2 celery stalks
4 medium savoy cabbage leaves
250g butternut squash or pumpkin
100gms fresh peas
1 spoonful of olive oil
salt and pepper
(you can also add lentils and fava beans)
1tbs tomato puree (optional)
Vegetable broth

Method
Heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic lightly.

Add the chopped up veggies and saute for a few minutes
Add the vegetable broth,(the more you add the less thick the minestra will be - generally it is served rather thinck but thats up to you!)
bring to the boil and then simmer until vegetables are tender.


Serve with a good topping of grated parmigian or romano cheese.



This dish can also be pureed for those who dont like chunks of veggies and prefer a smoother soup.

ENJOY!