Best Fanesca Spring Soup Recipes

FANESCA (SPRING SOUP)

Steps:

• If using, soak cod fish in cold water to cover for 12 hours or more, changing water from time to time.
• Drain and put in saucepan with fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until fish is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain fish, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees fahrenheit. Cut winter squash in half and place cut side down on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions replacing half the water with milk (boil on very low heat about 20 minutes).
• Meanwhile, cook beans and vegetables according to package directions. I used frozen corn, peas, lima beans and green beans combined in same casserole dish and microwaved for 8-9 minutes. The zucchini and cabbage I steamed together for 10 minutes. Combine.
• Meanwhile, cook eggs until hard boiled (about 4 minutes) and set aside. Let cool, remove shell and slice.
• When rice is done, add to bean mixture.
• When winter squash is done, set aside and let cool slightly before scraping out flesh with a fork and mashing a bit. Add to beans and rice mixture. If you are making this ahead of time, place in refrigerator until ready.
• Heat butter in large saucepan and saute the onions and garlic until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes, Add oregano, cumin, bay leaf and several grinds of black pepper and saute for a minute or two longer. Add 1 cup water, bring to a boil and add the next 11 ingredients (rice through milk) and fish, if using.
• Stir to mix and simmer very gently for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
• Add chopped cheese and salt to taste. The soup should be about as thick as a minestrone. If it seems too thick, thin it with a little more milk and simmer for a few minutes longer.
• Garnish soup with sliced hardboiled eggs and serve with parmesan cheese.

TASTY SPRING SOUP CALLED "GARMUGIA"

Steps:

• See how to prepare dish at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z7ARxw835A
• If using fresh artichokes, squeeze a lemon (or two) in a bowl of water to keep the artichokes from browning once you've trimmed and cut them.
• Prepare all the vegetables and pancetta as described in the list of ingredients above.
• Heat the broth and bring to a boil.
• Preheat the oven to 430°F
• Sauté the spring onions in the oil over medium heat. Let the onions sweat and become translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the pancetta. Let the fat from the pancetta melt. Turn up heat and add the veal. Let veal cook as you stir. When it is no longer pink you can start adding the vegetables.
• Drain the artichokes from the lemon water they'd been soaking in and add to pot. Stir them in and let them cook for about a minute. Add all the other vegetables and stir them inches Salt.
• Pour the meat broth into the pot and let soup simmer for about 7-10 minutes or until vegetables are just cooked.
• In the meantime prepare the croutons. Cut the bread as instructed in the ingredients and place them in an oven tray. Dress them with the leaves stripped off 7 sprigs of thyme, black pepper (10 turns of pepper mill), 3 Tbs olive oil drizzled over them, 1 tsp salt and garlic and toss. Put in a preheated 430°F oven till croutons get toasted (less than 10 minutes).
• When soup is ready strip the leaves off the rest of the fresh thyme over the pot of soup and black pepper (20 turns of pepper mill). Stir.
• To serve the soup ladle it into a bowl, top with the croutons, 1-2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

FANESCA (ECUADOREAN LENTEN CHOWDER)

Steps:

• Rinse cod well, then soak in water to cover in a large bowl, changing water 3 or 4 times, 12 hours total. If cod is still too salty, repeat process. Drain cod.
• While cod is soaking, cook achiote seeds in oil in a small saucepan over moderate heat until oil begins to bubble. Cool seeds in oil, then pour through a sieve, discarding seeds.
• Heat achiote oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté garlic, stirring, 30 seconds. Add scallions and cumin, then sauté, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
• Add water and bring to a boil. Stir in two thirds of cheese until incorporated.
• Stir in lentils and carrots and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut 2 ears corn crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices, and cut corn kernels from remaining 2 ears, discarding the 2 cobs.
• Stir all corn into soup with snow peas, zucchini, calabaza, cabbage, limas, baby peas, hot milk, and butter and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in mixed beans, hominy, and heart of palm and simmer 5 minutes. Add cod, in 1 piece, and cook 2 minutes.
• To serve, remove cod from chowder and stir in remaining cheese. Cut cod into 2-inch pieces. Ladle chowder into bowls and top each serving with a piece of fish.