Acquacotta means "cooked water", and this is a hearty peasant soup that farmhands would eat while out in the fields in the Maremma, a wild section of Tuscany southwest of Siena that extends to the coast and down into Lazio as well. It's one of those recipes with a great many variations, and Assuntina, who runs Monti della Tolfa, a neat agriturismo on a beautiful estate south of Rome that offers all sorts of activities, kindly shared her recipe:
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 100 grams [4 ounces] of pork fat or pancetta
- 1 large onion
- 1 dried chili pepper
- 1 tumbler of olive oil [about 2/3 cup]
- Seasonal vegetables (Swiss chard, cabbage, spinach, peas, broad beans, carrots, potatoes, courgettes [zucchini])
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- Slices of bread
Preparation:
Chop the pork fat very finely, dice all the vegetables, crush the garlic.
Put the pork fat, olive oil, onion, garlic and chili in a large pot and cook over a medium flame till the onions are cooked. Then add all the vegetables and about a litre of water. Bring to boil and then simmer till vegetables are cooked (approx 30 minutes).
Variation: Once the soup is nearly cooked, crack an egg over it and allow the egg to cook.
To serve, place 2-3 day old bread in bottom of your soup bowls and ladle the soup over them. You can also add a splash of olive oil and more chili to taste.
Yield: 4-6 servings of acquacotta.
Put the pork fat, olive oil, onion, garlic and chili in a large pot and cook over a medium flame till the onions are cooked. Then add all the vegetables and about a litre of water. Bring to boil and then simmer till vegetables are cooked (approx 30 minutes).
Variation: Once the soup is nearly cooked, crack an egg over it and allow the egg to cook.
To serve, place 2-3 day old bread in bottom of your soup bowls and ladle the soup over them. You can also add a splash of olive oil and more chili to taste.
Yield: 4-6 servings of acquacotta.
