This traditional Calabrian Licurdia soup may be the ultimate cold-weather comfort food. Chef Giorgio Giacinto, who owns Da Giorgio Restaurant in the city of New Rochelle a few miles north of New York City, grew up with the dish, thanks to a “Nonna” who’d serve it to him after school while growing up in New York.
The Calabrian Licurdia soup, or "zuppa di verdure,” consists of a variety of greens such as spinach, escarole, and swiss chard, as well as carrots, potatoes, and the star of the dish, sweet Tropia onions, simmered down and served with toasted bread and topped with Calabrian chili flakes and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
It sounds as warming and delicious as it is.
Giacinto, whose parents emigrated to New York from Calabria, emphasizes the region’s cuisine at Da Giorgio, a narrow 45-seat charmer of a restaurant that opened in 2007.
Giacinto adapted this soup recipe from his uncle Ottavio Cavalcanti's cookbook, Panza Chjina Fa Cantari; Cucina e Vini di Calabria.
Chef Giorgio Giacinto’s "Nonna's" Traditional Calabrian Licurdia Soup Recipe
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
A loaf of Italian bread (any style)
1 lb. potatoes (Idaho or Russet); peeled and diced
1 lb. Chopped spinach
1 lb. Swiss chard
1 lb. escarole
1 lb. chicory
(all boiled in salted water, cooled and chopped)
½ lb. Tropea Onions in Sunflower Oil
1 cup diced Vidalia onions
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 lb. carrots, peeled and diced
1 lb. celery, diced
2 Bay Leaves
Calabrian chili flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. In a pot of boiling water, boil all greens for 5 to 6 minutes, remove and allow to cool.
2. Chop all boiled vegetables.
3. In a large pot on medium heat, start to cook the onion with extra virgin olive oil; once onions become translucent, add carrots, celery, and scallions. Continue to cook on medium to low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add diced potatoes and bay leaves. Cover the vegetables with water and then double that amount.
4. When the water is boiling, add chopped greens, Calabrian chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Toast sliced bread.
6. Serve hot soup topped with toasted bread, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, Calabrian red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.