Good Thursday Soup, or Ministruni D'U Jovi R'O Lardaluoru: According to Pino Correnti, it was the custom in the Contea of Modica to prepare a minestrone whose primary ingredients were bits of lard, greens, legumes, and herbs; gather the family together to do it justice, and as they ate it set aside their differences. In other words, the soup helped them prepare themselves to greet Good Friday in the proper frame of mind. The recipe calls for:
Prep Time: 90 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) thick-stranded spaghetti
- 10 ounces (250 g) potatoes, peeled and diced
- 8 ounces (200 g) wild fennel or other frondy vegetables (if you cannot find wild fennel,
- use a little bulb fennel and some fennel seeds to approximate the flavor)
- 1/4 pound (100 g) tomato paste
- 8 ounces (200 g) lard, without the skin (pork side will work here), cubed
- 10 ounces (250 g) shelled dried fava beans, soaked overnight
- A large onion, shredded
- Parsley
- Salt & black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Begin by setting a pot of water to boil, lightly salt it, and add the wild fennel, then the soaked fava beans, the onion, the potatoes, the tomatoes, and finally the lard. Check the salt and simmer until the beans and potatoes are fork tender (add the pasta about 10 minutes before they reach this point), dusting the soup liberally with pepper just before you bring it to the table.
Note: Sicilians also add a green locally known as "old woman's thighs". I have no idea what it might be.
Note: Sicilians also add a green locally known as "old woman's thighs". I have no idea what it might be.
