Mangia Con Elena

Italian Beef and Barley Soup  IG: @mangia.con.elena  I am soup obsessed. Ask anyone who knows me and they will agree wholeheartedly. If you scroll through my blog you will see a variety of soup recipes. Soup in my childhood home was a regular occurrence. It wasn't just for the winter months as often my mother would use all of the veggie leftovers in a soup because in our Italian household nothing ever went to waste. My parents taught us an appreciation of food and gratitude for every meal that graced our table.   My mother made the most delicious soups and never followed a recipe. Her base was always the same- home made chicken, beef or vegetable broth depending on what the ingredients for that night's soup was going to be used. I definitely am the same way when it comes to most of my cooking but especially soup.  When the craving hits for soup, I first go in the freezer to see what meat and broth I have and then into the fridge to see what vegetables will best compliment the c

  Mediterranean Turkey Vegetable Bean Soup The coolness in the air means that it is officially soup season and I couldn't be happier! I adore soup. My soups, just like most of my pasta dishes evolve as I cook them. I have a general idea in mind and then I add as I think of what else I can use. This is the way my mother made her soups and having learned by watching and helping her it only makes sense that I cook in the same manner. Nothing was ever wasted in our house. The forgotten carrot at the bottom of the crisper or the little bit of leftover broccoli from the night before were always repurposed into the next night's meal. More often than not, they flavoured a delicious vegetable soup.  This  Mediterranean Turkey Vegetable soup with creamy cannellini beans and fresh Swiss chard (bietola) from my mother’s garden was created with what I had in the house. I used up the last of my plum tomatoes to form a beautiful colour and more flavourful broth. Ingredients are below but plea

  Pasta e Fagioli With Borlotti Beans Pasta e Fagioli could very well be the national dish of Italy. It was born in the countryside and very much a true "cucina povera" dish. This flavourful soup was made out of necessity using simple, inexpensive ingredients that they harvested.  There is no official recipe for pasta e fagioli, but is present in every region of Italy with slight differences in the ingredients. We grew up on my mother's version of pasta e fagioli which she learned to make as a young girl. This classic romano style uses pancetta to flavour the broth and give it a salty, earthy flavour. She would add the ends of home made prosciutto so as not to throw them out or bits of home made pancetta. Nothing went to waste in our house. If meat was not available, we would eat it without and the version here is meatless.  Of course, the choice is up to you to add pancetta or not.  If you are going to add pancetta simply cut it into cubes and fry before adding the soffr