The spollichini soup is a typical dish of the Neapolitan culinary tradition that is prepared mainly in the summer.
Spollichini are nothing more than fresh cannellini beans still enclosed in their pods. In Naples, and more generally in Campania, during the summer, the stalls of various fruit and vegetable markets are full of them.
This dish, for many Neapolitans of my generation, is also linked to childhood memories, when, after school ended, we moved to holiday homes until early September and, at least once a week, spollichini soup was prepared, leaving the children with the task of “spollicare”, or shelling, the beans from the pod.
It is a very simple recipe but rich in flavors with a dressing based on tomatoes and seasonings like celery and lots of basil. It is generally consumed with slices of toasted bread, but if you like, you can turn the soup into an excellent first course by adding some short mixed pasta.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then…let’s cook and eat!!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs spollichini
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 stalk celery
- a few cherry tomatoes
- to taste salt
- 1 black pepper
- a few leaves basil
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Ladle
Steps
To prepare the spollichini soup, start by shelling the beans from the pod and collecting them in a bowl.
Once you’ve finished, rinse them under running water and put them to boil in a pot with high edges, starting with cold water. It will take about 1 hour of cooking.
When the spollichini are almost cooked but still “al dente”, prepare a sauté in a saucepan with a clove of garlic, a celery stalk cut into pieces, a chili pepper if you like, and finally, a few cherry tomatoes cut in half.
Let everything cook for a few minutes then add the spollichini with some of their cooking water.
At this point, salt and add a few fresh basil leaves, continuing to cook until the beans are fully cooked and flavored. It will take about 20 minutes.
Serve the spollichini soup by adding, on each diner’s plate, another drizzle of raw oil, a sprinkle of black pepper, and a basil leaf. Accompany the soup with slices of toasted stale bread and a good glass of wine.
Enjoy your meal 😉.
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