Minestra di broccoli alla romana
Roman style broccoli soup
Minestra di broccoli is a lovely soup, a real roman classic, but with many variations. I guess every roman family have their own version and recipe. It is a cheap dish to make as well, why it became quite popular after Second World War, where household economies were tight.
Romans would always use the not so easy to get Romanesque broccoli for this soup. It looks great with the pointy florets, but you can easily use regular broccoli.
Amongst the many variations, you can find versions with a bit of chili and even anchovies. Some like it less ‘wet’, where the filling takes up most of the space in the final serving. Find the right way yourself.
Ingredients
4 persons (starter)
100 gr guanciale or bacon
500 gr broccoli Romanesque
1 big beef tomato
A bundle of Parsley
50 gr grated parmesan
1,5 liter of vegetable bouillon – or even better, a meat broth or stock
150 gr spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic
1 table spoon or pork fat or olive oil. (not needed if using real guanciale)
Clean the broccoli, separate it into florets, then wash and drain them. The stalks are cut into slices. The pork is cut into fine strips. The beef tomato is scalded, peeled and cored. Coarsely chop the tomato flesh. Cut the garlic cloves into thin slices.
The broth is brought to the boil in a pot. Brown the pork in a large pot in the fat/oil, turn down the heat and add the garlic. Add the broccoli and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomato pieces.
Pour the hot broth over it and let it boil. The spaghetti is broken into 3 cm long pieces, sprinkled in the soup and cooked along.
As soon as the spaghetti is cooked al dente, season the soup with salt and pepper. Finely chop the parsley and sprinkle in.
Serve the soup with Parmesan on top and good bread.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, skip the guanciale and use a vegetable bouillon and you are all set