Zuppa Imperiale

a festive soup for a festive time of year

photo by Mona Shatry

I’m sorry. I promised to upload this recipe over a month ago. IRL soup life has been very very busy! In this newsletter you’ll find: a recipe for zuppa imperiale and a recipe for the most umami-forward parmesan-porcini broth you can imagine.

Zuppa Imperiale combines some of the best elements of both Italian and Austrian cuisine, marrying the concepts of clear broth and semolina dumplings (Austria) with a boatload of parmesan (Italy). Empress Marie Louise, wife of Napoleon, is said to be the originator - once she became Duchess of Parma after his fall and moved to Italy, she brought along Austrian culinary traditions.

Empress Marie Louise (image from here)

Fun things about this soup

• This soup is great for a crowd! All components can be made in advance and heated up and merged just before serving. See below, I served it for a 22 person seated dinner (more on that below). We placed the cubes in the bowls first, then poured the broth at the table to avoid excessive splishing and splashing.

• I decided to make it even more cheesy and flavourful by serving the cubes drenched in parmesan-porcini broth (rather than the typical meat stock) - a scrappy and might I say delicious alternative.

• I also decided to heat the diced cubes in the oven for a bit which made them crunchier than they initially were, and ended up making them crispier than they should be. This resulted in that delicious crispy-gone-soggy texture we all know and love. Best of both worlds!

Ingredients

• 100 grams butter

• 4 large eggs

• 100 grams grated Parmesan

• 120 grams semolina flour

• A pinch of nutmeg, optional

• A pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 litre of porcini-parmesan stock, see below

Instructions

1. Melt the butter gently over low heat and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the semolina, grated Parmesan, eggs, melted butter, salt, and nutmeg until smooth.

2. Butter and line a baking pan (mine is 30 × 20 cm (12 × 8 in) with parchment. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan, shaking/whacking it agains the counter carefully a few times to flatten out the top.

3. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 35 minutes, until set. Let cool completely, then turn out onto a cutting board. Cut into strips, then into cubes.

4. Optional: place the cubes back into the oven on a lower temp to crisp them up a bit, then serve them drenched in hot broth and enjoy!

Porcini-Parmesan Stock

This stock can give meat/bone-based stocks a run for their money in terms of flavour. It’s super rich and cozy, a cold-weather favourite.

Ingredients

• A splash of oil

• 1 large onion or a few small shallots, washed and quartered (peeling not necessary)

• 1 head of garlic, washed and halved horizontally

• A sprinkling of peppercorns

• 1/2 cup white wine

• I had 1 large and 3 small parmesan rinds*

• About half a cup of dried porcini (you can also use other dried mushrooms)

• A few stalks of rosemary and thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Add a splash of oil to your pot and add in the onion/shallots and garlic cut side down. Let them sear for a few minutes (adding the peppercorns about halfway) until charred. Deglaze with the white wine, then add in the parmesan rinds, dried mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and salt. Pour over about 2 litres of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for a good while - at least 1,5 to 2 hours. Strain and discard solids.

On that note… I hope you all had happy, cozy holidays (whichever you may observe) and restful days ahead. I will be living in my pyjamas until further notice. Seeya next year!