Soups from Italy and Japan 🌞

Pasta e Fagioli
—Lori Longbotham




Makes 16 cups ; serves 8
This Italian soup—which has as many variations as there are cooks—
is chockfull of pasta, beans, and vegetables.

8 slices bacon, cut crosswise
into 1/4-inch-wide strips
3 medium red onions, finely chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
2 quarts homemade or lowersalt chicken broth
2 15 1/2-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 14 1/2-oz. can petite-cut diced tomatoes
4 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
3 medium celery ribs with leaves, thinly sliced crosswise
1 slender 3-inch cinnamon stick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup tubettini (or other small pasta)
1 1/2 tsp. red-wine vinegar; more to taste
Grated or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish

1. In a 6-quart (or larger) Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon,
stirring occasionally, until partially crisp, about 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon,
transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the onions to the pot and
cook, scraping up any browned bits and stirring occasionally, until softened,
6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring constantly, until
fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, chickpeas, tomatoes and
their juices, carrots, celery, cinnamon stick, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and
1 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat; skim any foam as necessary. Reduce
the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots and celery are very
tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook the tubettini according to the package directions
and drain.

3. Discard the cinnamon stick and add the pasta to the soup. Stir in the
bacon and vinegar. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more vinegar. Serve
garnished with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

From "Fine Cooking Italian"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13256087-fine-cooking-italian

**************************************************************************

KENCHINJIRU
(Rustic Vegetable Soup)



Preparation time: 55 minutes
Cooking time, 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Kenchiryiru is made all over Japan. This chunky
version is from Iwate prefecture, a mountainous area in the north of
the country. Doubling or tripling the recipe makes sense, since the
soup is traditionally served at large gatherings, and leftovers are eaten
for several days afterward .


1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
9 oz (250 g) *Konnyaku, torn into bite-size pieces
Boiling water
2 usuage [deep-fried tofu pouches], halved lengthwise
2 2/3 oz (75 g) burdock root, scrubbed
I½ tablespoons gold sesame oil
7 oz (200g) daikon , scrubbed and cut into 1+-inch (2 cm) cubes
3 ½ oz (100 g) small taro roots, peeled and cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes
3½ oz (100 g) sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes
1 small carrot, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch (2 cm) dice
2 dried shiitake , soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
5 oz (150 g) momendofu or Japanese style soft block tofu, smashed by hand
5 cups (40 fl oz/ I. 2 liters) **Iriko Dashi
1½ teaspoons *Usukuchi shoyu
1½ teaspoons potato starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
8 sprigs *mitsuba, roughly chopped

Rub ½ teaspoon of the salt into the konnyaku, place in a wire-mesh sieve ,
and pour a steady stream of boiling water over it for10 seconds .

Place the usuage in another sieve and pour a steady stream of boiling water over
it for 10 seconds . Cut crosswise into 1/+-inch (6 mm) strips.

Drain the shiitake,remove and discard the stems, and cut the caps
into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes .

With your nondominant hand, hold the burdock above the cutting board and
use a sharp knife to shave thin slices off the end of it as you rotate it (sasagak, like
sharpening the end of a stick) .

In a heavy medium pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the
daikon, taro, sweet potato, carrot, burdock, and shiitake. Stir-fry
for 2-3 minutes, then add the konnyaku usuage,and tofu.

Continue stir-frying over low heat until the vegetables are glossy,
2-3 minutes more.

Pour the dashi into the pot with the vegetables and bring to a
simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked
through, 6-8 minutes . Season with the usukuchi shoyu and remaining
½ teaspoon salt. Stir the potato starch mixture into the soup to add
creaminess to the broth. Simmer for I-2 additional minutes.

Ladle out into large, donburi [deep soup bowls], squeeze the grated
ginger to add a few drops of ginger juice to each bowl, garnish with
mitsuba,and serve . Refrigerate the leftovers until needed.

**Iriko Dashi recipe

Preparation time, 5 minutes , plus
8 hours soaking time

Makes: 3 1/2, cups (27 fl oz/800 ml)
1 1/4 oz (35 g) iriko [sun-dried fish]

There is no one exact way to prepare iriko dashi. Iriko is a generic
term that refers to a whole range of dried fish produced inJapan, from
large dried aji [horse mackerel] to teeny little eso[a variety of juvenile
sardine] . The best quality iriko are sun-dried . Some broths are made
over heat ; others simply soak the fish in cold water (as here) , which
yields a subtler flavor. Use this dashi as a base for misosoup or Island
Somen with Red Chile and Garlic Chives

Soak the dried fish in I quart (32 fl oz/r liter) cold water for
8 hours. Strain the broth and discard the fish.

* * *

*Konnyaku is a low-calorie food made from the konjac plant, used in
Japanese cuisine for centuries. Made into flour jelly an noodles.

*Mitsuba
Mitsuba is a parsley-like herb popular in Japan. In fact, the name mitsuba is
Japanese for "three leaves," which describes the way the bright green herb looks.
It's used as a garnish for many foods and is found in soups, dumplings, noodle
dishes and salads. While mitsuba looks a lot like a classic Italian parsley, even
garnering the name Japanese wild parsley, the flavor is more akin to a mixture
of fresh celery, chervil and cilantro.

***Usukuchi Shoyu is the second most popular type of Shoyu in Japan with
an approximate 8% share of the market.

It is light in terms of color and body, has a fruity aroma, a slightly sweet yet refreshingly
tart flavor, and a subtle form of umami. This makes it an ideal seasoning and sauce for
lightly flavored dishes and snacks, as well as fresh foods.

Deceptively, despite its light color, it has a higher salt content, at 18-19% than its darker
Koikuchi Shoyu counterpart (see here, for more information on Koikuchi Shoyu).
Whereas Koikuchi Shoyu has a stronger aroma, which is often used to mask the smell
of foods with a stronger odor, such as blue fish and meat, Usukuchi Shoyu, born in
the Kansai region, is often used in Kyoto cuisine, where the color, flavor, and aroma of
the ingredients need to be brought out.

As previously stated, color is an important aspect of Usukuchi Shoyu and as its color
will become darker the more it oxidizes, this will cause it to lose its characteristic
lightness. For this reason, the shelf life (before opening) of Usukuchi Shoyu sauce
is often set about 6 months shorter than that of Koikuchi Shoyu, and it should be
consumed within approximately one month of being opened.

from "Japan: The Cookbook"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36423226-japan

Konnichiwa mina-san! Enjoy!