Rustic Lamb Soup From Florence Minestra Dagnello Food

RUSTIC LAMB SOUP FROM FLORENCE (MINESTRA DAGNELLO)

Steps:

• Chop finely the celery, carrot and onion and sauté in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. As soon as the onion begins to change colour, add the lamb and continue to cook. After a few minutes, add the wine and allow to evaporate completely, then add the tomatoes. Continue to cook over a low heat for about one hour, then add the broth.
• Finally add the noodles and cook for a few minutes.
• Serve with freshly ground pepper.

LAMB SOUP

Steps:

• Chop bones in half and then place in a large soup pot, adding meat, celery, carrot, onion, peppercorns and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours, skimming and replacing water about every 30 minutes or so so water stays at approximated original level.
• Drain using a colander over a bowl or pot, retaining liquids.
• Trim meat from bones and discard bones after removing marrow (added to meat).
• Discard gristle, carrots and celery.
• Return remainder (meat) to pot or bowl with broth and refrigerate overnight.
• Skim soup and put congealed broth (with meat) in a pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, adding curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, bouillion cube and greek seasoning, stirring. Skim.
• Season to taste.

RUSTIC CABBAGE SOUP

Steps:

• Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes.
• Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a little bit for about 5 minutes. It's ok to uncover to stir a couple of times.
• Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes until the cabbage softens up a little bit.
• Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to simmer.
• Stir in the cabbage and cook for another couple of minutes, or until the cabbage softens up a bit.
• Now, adjust the seasonings; getting the seasonings right is important or your soup will taste flat.
• Taste and see if you need more salt.*.
• Note* The amount of salt you will need will be determined by how salty your broth or stock is. Canned broths will sometimes vary between brands and homemade stocks will vary from canned.

MY MUM'S 'MAGEIRITSA' OR GREEK LAMB SOUP

Steps:

• Wash lamb pieces well and throw them in a tall pot covering them with cold water.
• Bring to the boil, skimming the pot frequently and then turn the heat down and simmer for 2 hours.
• Add the spring onion which has been washed and chopped coarsely (around 2cm pieces.) Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer for another 20 minutes, then add the rice which has been rinsed and boil for another 15 minutes until the rice is cooked.
• Allow the soup to cool slightly and make an avgolemono or egg-lemon sauce.
• Separate the eggs and beat the whites for 5 minutes on low speed with a hand-held mixer until white. (It must not be firm or meringue-like.).
• Add yolks and beat briefly, then add the lemon juice in a thin stream until the mixture is fluffy.
• Then add hot soup in a thin trickle beating all the while at a low speed until most of the broth has been incorporated. You will need a large bowl to do this and you should tilt it at the beginning when you beat the egg whites so they are covered by the beaters.
• Be careful not to go too quickly or the egg will cook and curdle, it must be warmed up gradually.
• Tip the contents of the bowl back into the pot and mix lightly with a ladle.
• NOTE: The lamb here in Greece is very fatty so I don't add any oil at all to the soup but if you use leaner types of lamb (e.g. Australian or New Zealand) you may like to add 1/3 cup of oil to the soup.

MINESTRA (ESCAROLE AND LITTLE MEATBALLS SOUP)

Steps:

• Trim the escarole and discard any bruised leaves. Cut off the stem ends. Seperate the leaves and wash well in cool water, especially the center of the leaves where soil collects. Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1 inch strips. You should have about 4 cups.
• In a large pot, combine the escarole, broth, carrots. Bring to a simmer and cook until the escarole is almost tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the meatballs. Shape the mixture into tiny meatballs, less than 1 inch in diameter.
• When the escarole is cooked, stir in the pasta and return the soup to a simmer. Drop the meatballs into the soup. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until the meatballs and pasta are cooked, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning. At this point I drizzle in one mixed egg and stir. It makes pretty egg flower strings throughout the soup.
• Top with grated Parmesan and serve hot.