Garmugia Lucchese (Soup)

Garmugia is a traditional recipe that dates back to the 16th century and can be pinpointed to Lucca and its province. Its origins are poor although the fact that some ground veal is present gives the recipe a certain richness. Peasants had loads of vegetables and very little meat, this is why they would add some dried pancetta (belly bacon – non smoked) and a little ground meat. If you’re vegetarian and want to keep it meatless it’s just as good. 

Ingredients:

1 Brunch Spring Onions
50 grams of  Ground Bacon
150 grams Ground Beef
4 Table Spoon of Broad Beans
4 Table Spoon of Fresh Peas
4 Table Spoon of Asparagus Tips
4 Artichokes
1-1/2 Litre 1 of beef stock
Oil for frying

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped onions, ground bacon and beef. Cook for a  5 minutes and add the prepared chopped vegetables.
Mix well and cook for about 15 minutes stirring well. Add the stock and bring to the boil, allowing the
mix to simmeter for a few mins or until the vegetables are tender. Serve hot with toasted bread

Healthy "Dried Legumes Minestrone"

1st "Cook the dried legumes"
Put in a bowl of cold water 200gr. of white beans, 100gr. of peas, 100gr of fava beans, 100gr, of chick peas and leave them inside for 1 night.
The next day put the legumes in a pot full of 2lt. of cold water (not salted) add 2-3 leaves of laurel and 2 little tomatoes cut in pieces.

Tuscan Greens Soup (Zuppa di Cavolo Nero)

Tuscans often drizzle fresh olive oil in the shape of a C onto each bowl of soup before serving it. The heat of the soup releases the fragrance and flavor of the oil. Some Italians refer to it as “battesimo dell’olio”, baptizing with oil, so perhaps it symbolizes the casting off of bad taste or evil kitchen spirits. All the more reason to do it.
The traditional Italian green for this soup is Tuscan kale, known as “cavolo nero” (black cabbage). It is a somewhat tangy green that develops a subtle sweetness during cooking. Many American grocery stores, and seed catalogues, market it as “Lacinato” or “dinosaur kale”. Regular kale may be substituted if your greengrocer has not yet caught up with the Tuscan variety.

Ingredients:

Tuscan Tomato Soup "Pappa al Pomodoro"

Ingredients for 6
8 cups peeled tomatoes (if flavorful use fresh, otherwise
canned), 6 slices dry bread (preferably unsalted), vegetable
stock, black pepper, 1 hot chili pepper, 1 onion, parsley, basil,
salt, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 2 garlic cloves, extra virgin olive
oil
Preparation
To prepare the bread, cut off the crust and soak in water for
a few minutes then, squeeze out most of the moisture and
set aside. Finely chop and sauté’ onion, carrot and celery in a
good amount of olive oil. Add peeled tomatoes and some
vegetable stock and cook for 20 minutes. Add chili pepper,
garlic and salt to taste.
Notes
Zuppa in Italian comes from the verb “zuppare”, to soak. La
Zuppa in Italian cooking is a soup with bread soaking in the
liquid, an old world method for adding substance to a light
weight dish