In keeping with the theme of our trip, we wanted to get back into our soups with an Italian flare. I made this soup the day after we came back (a week ago today) but haven't had the time to sit and get it posted. Being that we'd just been away for almost 2 weeks, and had almost nothing in our fridge, I needed to make something simple and comforting to get rid of that post-plane hope-it's-not-a-cold feeling. This soup was perfect and came from our new "Sicilian Cooking" book we bought after our cooking class. In Italy they don't use shell shaped noodles, or if they do, they don't let tourists know. But we only brought home spaghetti and fettuccine style noodles, so the shells in the cupboard would have to do.
Sicilian Pasta and Broccoli Soup
What you need:
6 oz of pasta
1 bunch of broccoli - chopped with large stems off, cut into about 1cm pieces
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
water
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
How to make it:
Soak your chopped broccoli for about 30 minutes in water. Then drain and boil it in salted water for about 10 minutes (the cookbook reads "plenty of salted water" use enough for the broccoli and the pasta, as you'll be cooking the pasta in there too!). In a separate pan, brown your garlic in oil and pour it over your broccoli. Add in your pasta to the boiling water and cook for another 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked completely. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top and a side of bread and butter.
The verdict:
Success. I mean, I have nothing to compare this to, but it's just a simple and clean flavor. Perfect for someone getting over or fighting off a cold. It wasn't overly flavorful, but it worked, and considering there wasn't much to it, it was quick to whip up in a flash.
What we'd do differently:
For the sake of flavor, if we make this dish again, I will probably use broth instead of water... or some bouillon. Chicken or vegetable will work, it just needs to be taken up a notch!
ENJOY!
XO
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