SOUPS SOUPS SOUPS

With the cold weather approaching, soups become a staple in our home. Barb loves to take some to work a couple of days a week for her lunches. I have written recipes for several soups- Minestra, Basic Broth and Vegetable soup. The smell of soup cooking on the stove fills the house with a warm feeling. So I am going to try to find more soup recipes to feature here. Meanwhile I think I will go and have a bowl.
#soupsandmoresoups#vegetablesoup#soupisgoodforapackedlunce#granpalovestomakesoups#minestra#basicbroth#soupmakesagreataromainthehouse#granpalovestocook

CIOPPINO-ITALIAN FISH SOUP

Cioppino is not a Ciociaria dish. It is really from the Genoa area of Italy. You know home of Christopher Columbus before he sailed for Spain and Isabella! It is a hardy soup which originally used the catch of the day. I did some research on the soup because my card buddies at the Richmond Hill Italian Social Club were wanting a lunch one day so this dish seemed like a worthy adversary! If you like fish it is made with a variety of seafood items- shrimp, scallops, mussels, white fish( maybe cod or halibut or your favourite white fish) and clams. If you like crab and squid it can be used too. There are many recipes online and I actually used one for our lunch. So I must stay honest on this blog and only post my own recipes not others. Some more interesting tidbits- ciuppin in the Ligurian dialect from the Genoa area means to chop or chopped. So the seafood must be "chopped" as well as the vegetables that are cooked in the dish.  One of the ladies from the Club actually made lunch for us. Barb was at work so there are no pictures to illustrate the dish. Since we do love seafood, I may make my own batch someday to share with you.
Talking about soup- The National Post paper has a section entitled Gastropost. Barb entered my Minestra soup and it was one of the soup dishes featured November 10, 2012. For those of you who love to cook check out their weekly missions and as long as you get your item with a picture sent to the address mentioned on their page by 10:00 a.m. Wednesday mornings you may get a spot. So come on fellow cooks and bakers like Roy, Edna, Kathryn- try your hand on one of their missions that might contain an item you make- so I can see your name there too!
#ciopinno#Cioiaria#shrimps#scallops#granpamakescioppino#seafoodatitsbest#lotsofmussels

PARSLEY/PREZZEMOLO-AN ITALIAN COOK'S STAPLE

Parsley can not be made into an individual dish. It is an ingredient that is added to so many dishes.

I like to grow some in my summer garden to use it fresh in dishes. Drying the excess allows a nice stash in the house. Although now, it is possible to buy bunches of parsley fresh year round. It is a staple in Italian cooking as it is added to my sauce, soups, stew and even the Easter Canascione for a little colour and taste. Barb adds it to her devilled eggs as a garnish on top and her turkey bread stuffing. It even adds some calcium to the meal. It is a rather an understated vegetable or is it a herb? 

This post may warrant some research about parsley. Barb asked me. Where did it originate? Why do Italians use so much of it in their cooking? I just know that it is one of my staples in the kitchen.