When I embarked on my Italian exploration through Eataly earlier this week I was expecting to find endless assortments of fresh made pastas and imported legs of proscuitto, what I wasn’t expecting was to find everyone’s favorite Italian grandmother, Lidia Bastianich, serving up homemade soup. It took me a double take to recognize that she was standing behind this station tucked back into a corner in the Piazza, but her trademark smile and glasses gave her away almost instantly. A small crowd was gathering in front of her and I peeked my head in to see what she was up to. In front of her was a deep pot of soup shaded in colors of white and green and this warm, savory aroma that drew me right in. On the menu was a bowl of Lidia’s Escarole and White Bean Soup, a true Italian classic, that was being served up for $9 a bowl.
Lidia Bastianich is one of the most famous and well respected authorities on Italian cuisine here in America and is not only a chef and co-founder of Eataly, but cookbook author, TV star, and restauranteur. Lidia is well known for her outstanding PBS cooking series Lidia’s Italy, as well as her collection of restaurants here in New York City Felidia, Del Posto, Esca and Becco.
I knew as soon as I saw Lidia I had to take the opportunity to walk up, say hello, and hopefully snap a photo as proof for all of you. I was a bit nervous walking up to her, but she really does have this warm, inviting presence that makes you feel at home. She was more than gracious to pose for a picture for me, in fact when I told her what I was up to, she got really into it and grabbed her ladle for the shot, then stirred up the pot so I could get down in there. I was saying my thanks and about to walk away when she stopped me and said “wait, if you’re going to write about me and this soup, you have to try it!”. She asked the gentleman assisting her to grab a bowl and she poured me some of the hot soup and finished it wish a drizzle of olive oil and some pan-fried garlic bread. Being offered a bowl of soup by Lidia Bastianich on the house is not an opportunity one gets everyday, and I was more than willing to take her up on it.
Check out all this goodness!
I found a free spot to set my soup down and started slurping away. The aroma alone was intoxicating, but when I had my first taste my taste buds were dancing. I have had this soup before, well not her soup, but a similar recipe, and I can honestly say i’ve never been a big fan. The escarole is usually not cooked enough, the beans are hard, and it has a really bland flavor. This soup was none of those things. It had just the right balance of creamy white beans with soft, tender escarole, and an almost smokey flavor that warmed the soul. The crunchy garlic bread was the perfect addition of salty flavor and crunchy texture. I tried my best to savor every bite, but it was so delicious it didn’t last long. I made sure I went back to tell Lidia how much I enjoyed her soup and was thankful for her kind gesture.
The whole experience reminded me of the reason why I love cooking so much. When you make something that you have put your hard work into and are really proud of, you want people to enjoy it and the feeling of sharing it with them is so rewarding. When you make something for someone who really appreciates food, it’s even better. Thankfully the recipe for Lidia’s Escarole and White Bean Soup was available for me to take home and I have been so excited to share it with you. This is the perfect soup to make on a Sunday, or really any day you have time to be at home and want a magical smell to permeate throughout your home. The ingredients are minimal and inexpensive, but the results are worth so much more. Share some with someone you love and enjoy!
Zuppa di Scarola e Cannellini (Escarole and White Bean Soup)
Lidia says: “In the ideal world, you’ll think about making this soup the day before, or at least several hours in advance-time enough to soak and cook the beans. In the real world, however, you may not have that kind of time. In that case, it’s OK to blaspheme and use canned beans. (Two 15 oz cans will give you the right amount.) Just promise me you’ll make it the ideal way when you have the time.”
Adapted from Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cannellini, Great Northern, baby lima, or other small dried white beans (or 2-15 oz cans)
- 2 quarts water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the soup
- 6 cups coarsely shredded escarole leaves (preferably the tough outer leaves) washed and drained
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
- 4 to 6 whole dried peperoncini (hot red peppers)
- Salt
Pan Fried Garlic Bread
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- 1 whole peeled garlic clove, smashed
- Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
If using dried beans:
- Quick soak the beans by placing them in a large saucepan, covering them generously with cold water, and bringing them to a boil. Boil 1 minute before removing from the heat. Let stand uncovered, 1 hour, then drain and continue with recipe.
- Add beans to a 5-or-6-quart stock pot. Pour in 2 quarts of water, toss in the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to simmering, pour in 1/4 cup of the olive oil and cook until beans are tender, about 1 – 1 1/2 hours. By the time the beans are tender there should be about 1 inch of cooking liquid.
- Season the beans to taste with salt. Stir in the escarole and cook, stirring occasionally, until the escarole is quite tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, shaking the pan, until lightly browned.
- Add the whole peperoncini and cook, shaking the pan, just until the peppers change color, about 1 minute or less. Remove from the heat and carefully-it will sputter quite a bit-pour one ladleful of soup into the skillet. Swirl the pan to blend the two and then stir the panful of seasoned soup back into the pot.
- Check the seasoning and let the soup rest off the heat, covered, 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with a piece of garlic bread and a drizzle of olive oil on top.
Pan-Fried Garlic Bread
- Cut a loaf of Italian bread in half lengthwise, then cut it crosswise into 3-4 inch pieces.
- Rub the cut surfaces with a smashed garlic clove and brush with olive oil.
- Brush a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, with olive oil and set it over medium low heat.
- Arrange as many pieces, cut side down, in the pan as fit without touching. Weigh the bread down with a slightly smaller skillet and cook until the underside of the bread is golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove and repeat as necessary with the remaining bread.
- You may keep the cooked garlic bread in a warm oven turned to the lowest setting.
Tara O'Keeffe