Recipes

English Cavolo Nero Tuscan Soup

Tuscan soup recipe Photo by Ylanite Koppens form PxHere

THIS week I am going to hit the market stall in search of my favorite ingredient for my classic Tuscan soup. I’m on the hunt for an Italian delicacy “cavolo nero”, otherwise known as black cabbage. For years Italians have grown and eaten this versatile vegetable, well known for its source of healthy benefits.

When buying your cavolo nero look for healthy crisp leaves with unblemished stalks. Buying your cabbage with a healthy layer of soil also ensures freshness and quality. Give the cabbage a quick rinse off outside and then a deep wash in the kitchen.

This week’s recipe is a simple take on a Tuscan soup. I have added Borlotti beans to give the soup a real hearty appeal. A great soup to sit back and enjoy with friends.

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English Cavolo Nero Tuscan Soup Recipe

Recipe rating: 5.0 from 1 votes
Recipe by Chris Arkadieff Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour
Total time

1

hour

20

minutes

Hearty tuscan soup made with cavolo nero.

Ingredients

  • 200 ml olive oil

  • 3 stalks of celery diced small

  • 3 medium carrots diced small

  • 2 small red onions

  • 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

  • 3 small tins of whole peeled tomatoes

  • 1 bunch of fresh cavolo nero washed and coarse stalks removed

  • 2 cans of Italian borlotti beans

  • Salt and fresh cracked pepper

  • ½ cup of flat leaf parsley chopped

  • 3 cups of vegetable stock or water

Directions

  • Take a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients (approx. 5 ltr). On a medium heat add the olive oil, celery, onion, carrots and garlic.
  • Sauté until the vegetables are aromatic and have no colour. Reduce the heat if ingredients begin to colour.
  • Crush the tomatoes in a bowl and add to the pot. If you haven’t already, reduce the heat and add half the stock, cook for 25 minutes or until the soup begins to thicken.
  • Add 1 can of beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  • Using a sharp pair of scissors, snip the leaves and stalks of the cavolo nero into the soup and cook for a further 15 minutes.
  • Take the remaining beans and puree with a blender. Add the puree to the soup, which will help give the soup body and season with cracked pepper.
  • Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and rubbed ciabatta for that added texture.
    Enjoy!
Chris Arkadieff

Chris Arkadieff was born and raised in Australia where he gathered his first cooking experiences and won an Ansett “Best Apprentice Chef of the Year ” award. He was cooking on the exclusive Hayman Island in Australia, voted number two resort in the world, later he worked in Italy and did two stages in New York. He moved to London in 1999 to start working with Gordon Ramsay Group. After working first as sous chef and then head chef in London, he was in 2014 sent to Hong Kong to become the head chef for Gordon Ramsay’s group there. He is now head chef of the Strand Dining Rooms. He is also chef contributor to one of Prague’s leading food specialists Roman Vanek who wrote also a best selling cook book.

Published by
Chris Arkadieff
Tags: SB001
13 July 2020 2:05 PM