"Lcooked water it is a vegetable soup with ingredients that, by tradition, were harvested in the fields, varying a lot according to the season: onions, celery and basil are inevitable to be combined with tomatoes and, depending on the season, chicory and vegetables of field that could give flavor. Acquacotta is still served with unsalted durum wheat bread and all seasoned with good EVO oil; with the addition of local cheese to flavor and then a nice poached egg on the top to give substance, it is a complete and rich dish. You just have to try the Tuscan Acquacotta! To rediscover the flavors of the earth, try ours too Soppa tal-lentia first course based on legumes and ideal with maritata pasta.

Preparazzjoni

1

Slice the celery stalks, eliminating the lower base, and rinse it thoroughly under running water to remove any earth residues; now cut it into slices including its leaves.

2

Clean the onion, removing the outer skin, and chop it coarsely with the help of a knife. Take a pan, pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add the chopped onion and brown over medium heat for a few minutes.

3

Also add the slices of celery once the onion is golden.

4

Take a ladle of vegetable broth and pour it into the pan; let the vegetables simmer with the lid on over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

5

At this point add the peeled tomatoes and the remaining broth; mix the ingredients and using a ladle, break up the tomatoes. Cover the pot with the lid and let it cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from drying out too much.

6

Check the consistency of the sauce and add salt if necessary. Take the eggs and break them directly inside the pan.

7

Cover with a lid and cook everything, over low heat, for another 5 minutes.

8

Once the eggs are cooked, turn off the heat and serve the Acquacotta on a serving dish with parsley leaves as a garnish.

aċċessorji

• Non-stick pan with lid

• Qtugħ

• Sikkina

• A ladle

Għajnuniet u tricks

• You can easily create variations starting from the vegetables used such as cabbage, herbs, courgettes or carrots; and why not, enrich your Acquacotta with mushrooms.

• If you prefer a stronger taste, try adding a pinch of red pepper when cooking celery and onions; otherwise flavor it by adding other spices and aromas to your liking.

• When the season allows it you can use, instead of peeled tomatoes, well-ripe tomatoes bleached in boiling water and deprived of the skin.

• You will not need to remove the celery filaments because thanks to the long cooking they will not be felt in the finished dish.

• By adding the broth to the vegetables, the result will not be fried because the onion will lose its aggressiveness and will be more digestible; in this regard, follow the recipe of Brodu tal-ħaxix, a classic recipe to give a rich touch to the dish. If you want a tastier broth you can opt for the chicken one.

ħażna

We can keep the Acquacotta in the refrigerator for up to 2/3 days, inside an airtight container; in this case the egg would be better to add it at the time of consumption.

storja

This ancient dish originates in maremma and then spread not only in Tuscany and Lazio but also in the Marches as a result of transhumance. Acquacotta is therefore a poor dish typical of the Tuscan lands; farmers and shepherds used to consume it on their return from the countryside and it contains all the treasures of the garden.

This precious soup gave a good supply of proteins, vitamins and minerals thanks to the eggs; celery is useful for a good supply of fiber and water, helping to purify the body. Ingredients were then added capable of giving consistency to the soup and increasing its nutritional power such as pork rind or lard. In Puglia this dish is made with beans, dried tomatoes, dried zucchini, turnip greens and obviously eggs: a poor dish but really rich in the wisdom and wisdom of grandmothers.