Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Soup

I love cleaning out my pantry. Since I’m vertically challenged and my pantry extends about 2 feet over my head, I tend to forget about the extra cans of beans, tomatoes and corn I set aside months earlier. And with a pending move to Peru on the horizon, it was time to take a look at what was hiding up there.

That also goes for the fridge and freezer. If, like me, you don’t use the entire bag of spinach or carton of mushrooms in one sitting, chances are they could go bad before you have a chance to finish them off. Well, this recipe (like most of my recipes) uses everything but the kitchen sink. And you could probably throw that in, too.

So, improvise. Use what you have to make this soup fabulous. You’ll need a few base ingredients to make this soup great, but then feel free to go willy nilly.

Ingredients (the ones you really need)
2 15-oz. cans organic diced tomatoes
1 Tbl tomato paste
4 cups stock (chicken, vegetable or beef)
1 rind of Parmigiano Reggiano
1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbl olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

You could pretty much stop here and just use the ingredients above. But if you’ve got extra stuff lying around, throw it in!

Ingredients (the ones I had in my fridge/freezer/pantry that you can improvise)
5 leaves Swiss chard, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 small head broccoli, chopped
1 pound lean organic ground beef
½ cup pearl barley
1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed
1 15-oz. can corn, rinsed
1 Tbl herbs de Provence

Here’s what you do:
In a large stock pot on medium-high heat, add oil, onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Sauté for 7-8 minutes or until soft. Add ground meat, salt and pepper and cook until meat is 75% cooked. Add tomato paste and stir until blended throughout. Add mushrooms, beans, corn and tomatoes. Add stock, herbs de Provence, chard, broccoli and barley. Add Parmigiano rind. Turn heat up to high, bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until barley is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Keep the cheese rind in the pot until every last drop of soup is eaten!

Ribollita (Tuscan Bread Soup)

The first time I had ribollita (the best Italian bread soup EVER) I was in Lucca, one of my favorite Tuscan towns, eating everything I could get my hands on. And even though I was thoroughly enjoying this soup in the middle of August, I couldn't help but salivate over the idea of making this on a cold winter's night back home in D.C.

This is another one of those recipes you can add/subtract ingredients based on what you've got in the fridge, but DO NOT omit the Parmesan rind.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling on bread
1 onion, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
4 ounces pancetta, chopped (can leave out if making vegetarian)
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes (I use San Marzano)
1 bunch chopped fresh greens (kale, chard or spinach)
1 (15 oz) can of cannelloni beans (in this recipe I prefer not to rinse them, but you can if you're worried about sodium intake)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind (KEY FLAVOR INGREDIENT!!!)
1 whole wheat baguette, cut into bite-sized pieces
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, pancetta, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the greens, beans, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

In a 350-degree oven, toast bread pieces for 10-12 minutes. Add to soup and let simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and Parmesan rind before serving. Sprinkle each bowlful with grated cheese.