Cooked Water with Greens Recipe - Acquacotta di Verdure

By Dustin

The secret to its success lies in the selection of the herbs and greens used. To follow tradition to the letter, one should use farm-gathered chicory, borage and other wild herbs, together with marjoram, thyme, parsley, and mentuccia (a minty-smelling relative of marjoram).

In other words, do not stint on the herbs or the soup will be tasteless.

Note: Mentuccia is the variety of thyme known as Nipitella in Tuscany, which adds that special secret something to many porcino recipes.

Ingredients

• A loaf of day-old Italian bread
• 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 pound (500 g) ripe tomatoes, chopped (and blanched & peeled, if you like)
• 1 pound (500 g) farm-fresh chicory, well washed and chopped
• Herbs (see below), minced
• Extravirgin olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Fill a fairly large pot 3/4 full of water and add the vegetables and herbs. Season with a little salt and cook for about 40 minutes.

When the vegetables have finished cooking, cut the bread into thick slices. Dip each in the pot, let it drain, and put it in a bowl. Spoon some vegetables and a bit of the vegetable broth over the slices, drizzle some olive oil over them, and serve them with freshly ground pepper.

The wine? I'd go with a light white here, or perhaps a rosé.