Pasta e Patate: a Perfect Winter Soup

Delicious! Delicious! When we first saw this recipe we thought, wow, major carb overload. And yes, there is pasta as well as potatoes but the flavours are so delicious and enticing that we just could not stop at just one bowl…and had to immediately share it with friends and family. Of course we then had to make another batch. It is irresistible.

The recipe appeared in our third book, It’s Always About the Food, from the kitchen of London cooking teacher and food writer Silvia Nacamulli. 

Pasta e Patate: an Excellent Italian Soup

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Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 serves

Ingredients

  

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk finely chopped
• 1 Carrot peeled and finely chopped
• 60 ml water 1/4 cup
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 2 anchovy fillets
• pinch chilli flakes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 - 5 waxy potatoes approximately 500 g
• 400 g tin Italian tomatoes chopped
• 1.25 litres boiling water 5 cups
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 200 g macaroni pasta
• 5 leaves of fresh basil
• grated reggiano parmigiano cheese to serve

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion, celery and carrot and toss. Add the 1/4 cup water, stirring, and bring to the boil.
• Cook until the water has evaporated, add the garlic, anchovy, chilli, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper.
• Cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
• Peel and cut the potatoes into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes and rinse under running water. Set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to the saucepan and cook gently for 8 minutes, then add the potatoes.
• Stir well and add the boiling water, the extra tablespoon of salt and cover almost completely with a lid. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
• Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is firm to the bite (al dente). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Tear the basil and toss in the soup. Serve immediately with grated parmesan cheese on the side.

If you want more soup inspo, why not sign up for our next online cooking class on Tuesday 8 June? 

You can see our full soup roundup: Five Fabulous Soups for Winter.

If you love the flavours of Italy, check out this great recipe for Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi.

And for dessert? Try these Sticky Pears. They are just so good.

And if you would like to buy the book that this recipe is in, you can find it at Booktopia or Amazon.