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Don’t let the name fool you. You don’t have to call a restaurant in Milan to ask for the recipe for “Lombard Soup” (“Zuppa Lombarda”).

This simple dish was born in Tuscany: it was called the “Soup of the Lombards”, probably because it was originally prepared by miners, the majority of whom came from Lombardy, and were building the railway line at the end of 1800. This was a soup that gave warmth and strength.

Another theory is that this dish originated in Versilia, where many Lombards were working in land reclamation.

But, even if we’re not sure about its origin, we all love this comforting and nutritious soup.

The ingredients are few and extremely simple. But the secret is their high quality, as it is always the case for these traditional dishes.

Stale Tuscan bread, salt, fresh ground pepper, extra virgin olive oil (at this time of year we strongly recommend that you use the new olive oil), cannellini beans, one sage leaf, one garlic clove.

Cook the beans with the sage leaf and a clove of garlic (they need to be soaked for about twelve hours before cooking).

Place two slices of bread on the bottom of a bowl (you can also toast the bread), rub the cut side of the garlic clove on the bread.

Add a bit of olive oil, and pour two or three copious portions of cannellini beans with their broth over the bread.

Finally, add some black pepper and a bit more oil.

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