Hearty Calabrese Broccoli Soup

My Hearty Calabrese Broccoli Soup reminds me of the days spent in the kitchen with nonna Emilia. She really was a master chef because the simplest of ingredients could fill our house with the aroma of a 5 star restaurant.  Growing up in an immigrant family, we made use of all the vegetables grown in the garden as well as everything on sale at the store. Packed with colour, this vegetarian dish is a good balance of protein and nutrients for any table.

The Ingredients are simple, hearty and aromatic.

The Garden

We always had a garden in the backyard and nonno grew everything, even broccoli.  As I got older, some of my high school friends would laugh and wonder why we had sticks growing out of the ground.  Those sticks were covered with vines from our beans, tomatoes and various other good vegetables.

My grandfather even tried to grow corn in Northern Ontario and it was all good: all our gardens were a place to taste.  My favourite part was walking through the garden with him; we would yank the carrots out of the ground, wash them with the garden hose and eat.  I also loved to drink from the garden hose.  My childhood was full of gardens, food, love and laughter. I remember the gardens at zio Antonio’s, zio Alberto’s and zio Danielle’s.

There is so much to talk about being an immigrant and I love reading articles that describe my life.  Here is one from Maclean magazine that will make you laugh if you are Italian, and if you are not, it may explain some of the things we do.  http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/when-italy-met-canada/

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Hearty Calabrese Broccoli Soup

This is a hearty soup with or without pasta. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 6

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• One Bunch of Broccoli
• 1 can Roman Beans I like Primo brand.
• 1 large onion
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• grated parmesan
• oil for drizzling

Instructions

Putting the soup together

1. Use a 6 L pot and place 2 tbsp of olive oil in it.  

   Heat up the olive oil and add the garlic and the oregano.  

   Next, put in the potatoes and brown for 2 minutes. 

   Place the onions next, and let soften for 2 minutes.

   Make a spot in the middle and place the tomato paste.  This allows the paste to toast and it gives the soup that long cooked feel.

   Pour in the stock and follow with the broccoli and the beans.

   Add the 2 cups of water and the salt. 

   Simmer for 20 minutes and serve with grated parmesan.  

Recipe Notes

I add a little drizzle of olive oil after the tomato paste and at the end to plate. 

You can also add a cup of pasta if you like.  Cook a small pasta like tubetti or broken spaghetti separately.  Drain it and add it to the soup.