The catalogna chicory soup, in this case with pork meat, is a dish often found on Salentine tables during cold winter days. It’s a unique and comforting dish, prepared with catalogna chicory and its shoots, pork meat, bacon, and grated cheese.
The catalogna chicory soup is flavorful and tasty, easy to prepare, and the pork meat can also be replaced with potatoes and beaten eggs for a vegetarian version. Finally, it is served simply or with croutons and is a winter dish to try also with baked tarallucci or cheese and pepper salted braids.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 kg of catalogna chicory (including the shoots)
- 1 lb fresh pork bacon (or half pork meat and half bacon)
- 1/2 white onion
- Half glass dry white wine
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese (or grated Pecorino cheese)
- q.b. olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper
Steps
Clean the catalogna chicory by removing the old and thick leaves, keeping the tender ones. Separate the shoots from the central head and wash the vegetables well.
Blanch the vegetables for 15 minutes in salted water, separately, drain them al dente and set them aside, keeping the cooking water.
In a saucepan, put 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the thinly sliced onion.
Add the pork bacon cut into large pieces or the pork meat and brown the meat for a few minutes. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate. Add salt, pepper, and the bay leaf.
Let the meat cook until tender and occasionally add a ladle of the vegetable cooking water to prevent it from sticking.
When the meat is cooked and tender, remove the bay leaf. Add the boiled vegetables and a few ladles of the vegetable cooking water.
Add a pinch of salt, ground black pepper, and the grated cheese, Parmesan or Pecorino to taste, and finish cooking the soup.
Serve it hot, also accompanied by croutons.
PS: The vegetarian version with potatoes and eggs requires browning large pieces of potatoes in the onion instead of the meat, and finally adding 4 beaten eggs with grated cheese.
