Zuppa Di Polpettini Recipes

POLPETTINI

Steps:

• Coat a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add 3 diced onions, season with salt and cook until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 3 finely chopped garlic cloves and cook 2 to 3 more minutes. Let cool.
• Mix 1/2 pound each ground beef, veal and pork with the onion mixture, 3/4 cup Parmigiano, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup water, 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary; season with salt. The mixture should be pretty loosey-goosey; add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if needed. Roll into 1-inch balls.
• Working in four batches, cook the polpettini in olive oil in a large skillet over high heat, turning, until browned. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to each batch; cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve on rosemary sprig "toothpicks."

ZUPPA DI MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Add the mussels, a touch of water and cover to steam until the mussels open.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet (no oil) over medium-high heat, add the chorizo, fennel, tomatoes and chile flakes and heat over medium-high heat.
• Cover the pan with a lid to bring up the temperature. Add the white wine and cook uncovered to reduce for 2 minutes, then add the fra diavolo tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Once the mussels open, remove them from the liquid and place them on a plate. Add the mussel liquid to the skillet with the tomato mixture and mix it in to build layers of flavors. Add the mussels and parsley, mix and season to taste.
• In a bowl, plate the mussels and generously cover with the sauce.

QUICK SUPER-DELICIOUS ZUPPA TOSCANA

Steps:

• Cook and stir Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until sausage is browned and crumbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer sausage mixture to a bowl.
• Stir bacon into the same Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain fat, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings in the Dutch oven.
• Stir onion and garlic into bacon; cook and stir until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour chicken broth into bacon mixture; bring to a boil. Stir potatoes and kale into broth; cook until potatoes are tender and soup is flavorful, about 15 minutes.
• Stir sausage and heavy whipping cream into soup, reduce heat to medium, and cook until soup is heated through, about 5 minutes more.

ZUPPA DI PESCE E FRUTTI DI MARE (MEDITERRANEAN SEAFOOD SOUP)

Steps:

• Cut cod into pieces, reserving any scraps. Peel and devein prawns, reserving any scraps.
• Place cod and prawn scraps, quartered onion, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until fish stock is fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and reserve fish stock.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir sliced onion, red chile pepper, and minced garlic until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour in wine; cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; bring to a boil. Add cod, prawns, clams, and mussels; pour in 1 cup fish stock. Simmer until fish is cooked through and clams and mussels have opened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Toast bread in a toaster. Rub garlic halves on to 1 side of toasted bread.
• Place a piece of toasted bread in the bottom of each serving bowl. Ladle soup over toasted bread and top with parsley.

ZUPPA DI FRUTTA

Steps:

• Mix together the cream, the sugar, and the grappa. Blend well.
• Slice the peach, plum, and nectarine into 6 slices each. Divide slices among 6 shallow bowls. Cut strawberries in half, divide halves among the 6 bowls. Place 3 blueberries in each bowl.
• Divide the cream mixture among the 6 bowls.

POLPETTINI

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and put the pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt, to taste, and saute until they are translucent and aromatic but have no color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the meats, rosemary, Parmesan, water, bread crumbs, and eggs. Season generously with salt and add the cooked onions and garlic. Combine until well mixed. (Squish with your hands, it's fun!)
• Make a small patty of the meat mixture. Cook it and eat it. This is a tester patty to check and see if the seasoning is correct (it will probably need salt). Adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Roll the meat mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and put over high heat. Working in batches, cook the polpettini until they are brown on all sides. Add half a cup of chicken stock and cook until the stock has reduced by half. Remove to serving platters. Repeat this process until all the polpettini are cooked and serve immediately. Buonissimo!

ZUPPA DI PESCE FRA DI AVOLO

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir sea scallops, shrimp, and calamari rings in the hot oil until scallops and calamari are opaque and shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes.
• Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and add mussels and littleneck clams to the boiling water; cook until shells have opened, about 3 minutes. Remove shellfish and rinse with hot water.
• Pour crushed tomatoes, water, 2 cans chopped clams, 1/4 cup olive oil, onion, red pepper flakes, garlic, oregano, parsley, and salt into a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir cooked scallops, shrimp, calamari, mussels in shells, and littleneck clams in shells into tomato mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
• About 10 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes; drain and rinse pasta in hot water to prevent sticking. Serve seafood and sauce over pasta.

ZUPPA DE CLAMS (OR MUSSELS)

Steps:

• Wash and dry the clams and soak them in a large bowl in cold, salted water for about 30 minutes.
• Any remaining sand should fall to the bottom of the bowl.
• Drain the clams and rinse them well in a colander under running water.
• Crush one clove of garlic, and slice the remaining cloves very thin.
• In a large, heavy pan, sauté the crushed garlic until it begins to brown, then remove from the pan and discard.
• Add the remaining sliced garlic and the parsley.
• Cook over very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and enough liquid to just make a slightly soupy dish.
• You don't want too much liquid in this, but judge the amount to your taste.
• Season with the salt and pepper, then raise the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
• (Add more liquid if necessary).
• Add the clams, lower the heat again, cover pan, and let steam for about 10 minutes, or until the shells have opened and the clams are ready.
• Discard any unopened clams.
• Sprinkle with more freshly ground pepper and the basil, if desired.
• (You can substitute a teaspoon of dried if you wish).
• Serve in shallow bowls with slices of bread for dunking.

SUPER-DELICIOUS ZUPPA TOSCANA

Steps:

• Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

ZUPPA TOSCANA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Layer the sausage links onto a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Cut in half length-wise, then cut at an angle into 1/2 inch slices.
• Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear.
• Remove bacon and crumble. Set aside.
• Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional 1 minute. Add chicken base or bouillon, water, and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes.
• Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve.

ZUPPA DI PESCE

Steps:

• Make soup: Rinse squid under cold running water and pat dry.
• If squid are large, halve ring of tentacles, then cut longer tentacles crosswise into 2-inch pieces.
• Pull off flaps from squid bodies and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bodies crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings.
• Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Heat oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear shrimp in 2 batches, turning over once, until golden but not cooked through, about 2 minutes per batch.
• Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
• Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano to pot and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 30 seconds.
• Add wine and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 6 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened clams after 8 minutes.)
• Stir in mussels and cook, covered, over moderately high heat until shells open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring as opened with a slotted spoon to bowl with shrimp. (Discard any unopened mussels after 6 minutes.)
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F
• Add stock to pot along with remaining 4 cups water, tomatoes with juice, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• Make toasts while stock simmers: Arrange bread slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet, then drizzle with oil and season with salt.
• Bake, turning over once, until golden, about 10 minutes total. Transfer toasts to a rack to cool slightly, then rub lightly with cut sides of garlic and sprinkle with parsley.
• Finish soup: Add halibut to stock and cook at a bare simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in squid and reserved shellfish, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 minute. Stir in basil and parsley and serve immediately, with toasts alongside for dipping.