From My Italian Kitchen, Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Fall in Italy is pumpkin season. Pumpkin shows up in many dishes - in creamy risottos, as the filling for tortelli, and as the base for a warming soup. Each fall I look forward to the appearance of all of these dishes on the menus of local trattorie, a sure sign of fall’s arrival.

This fall I have been experimenting with recipes for two of these dishes, a risotto and a zuppa di zucca (pumpkin soup). While it is always a treat to have these dishes in a restaurant, there is something very satisfying about making them at home.

For the pumpkin soup, I have tried to recreate the one I enjoyed last fall at Cibrèo Trattoria in Florence. It was a vellutata (a smooth, velvety soup) topped off with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of sweetness from crushed amaretti. Unfortunately, their recipe was nowhere to be found, so I had to experiment to come up with something close. My version is not an exact replica of their’s, but it is pretty tasty!

The key to this soup is starting with chunks of roasted pumpkin and some roasted garlic. Canned pumpkin just won’t do - it doesn’t have the right flavor or texture. Roasting both the pumpkin and the garlic are essential for creating a complex flavor. Turmeric, cinnamon, and maple syrup pair perfectly with pumpkin. And, for a bit of tang, feta cheese. Lastly, crisp Italian Amaretti cookies add just the right touch of sweetness on top of the finished soup.

 Ingredients:

6 cups cubed pumpkin

1 head of garlic

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) + more to garnish finished soup

1 medium potato (~ 150 grams), cooked until soft

¼ cup onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons finely diced carrot

The sweetness in the amaretti adds a perfect touch to this soup.  Be sure to use the crisp ones.

10 ounces feta, crumbled

800 ml (~ 3 1/3 cups) chicken broth

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric (or more to taste)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ cup half and half (or whole milk)

1 package crisp Italian Amaretti cookies.  2 cookies, crumbled, per bowl of soup

 Directions:

Peel and cube the pumpkin (even easier if you can find it already peeled and cubed in the market). Toss with 2 tablespoons of EVOO and place on a rimmed baking sheet. 

Pumpkin chunks and garlic ready to roast

Cut the top third off a head of garlic, remove the loose skins, and place the intact head in the pan with the pumpkin.  Pour 1 tablespoon of EVOO directly on top of the garlic and then flip it over so that the cut side is down.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons of EVOO over the pumpkin cubes.

Roast at 400 degrees for 45 – 75 minutes until pumpkin is soft and garlic soft and fragrant.   The more the pumpkin is spread out on a large pan, and the smaller the pieces, the quicker it will cook.  60 minutes is about average.

 While the pumpkin is roasting, boil the potato, mash, and set aside.   Sautè the onion and carrots in a little bit of EVOO until softened.  Set aside.

Roasting the garlic keeps the flavor mellow, start with half the head of garlic and add more to taste

Place the roasted pumpkin, along with any accumulated juices, into a large soup pot.  Add the feta, mashed potato, and carrot / onion mixture to the warm pumpkin.  Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the mixture (depending on how much garlic flavor you like, start with half the head of garlic and then add more to suit your taste).  Mash all with a potato masher.

Add the chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version), spices, and maple syrup.  Heat soup over low heat and simmer x 15 minutes. 

Blend with an immersion blender, then add the half and half

To serve:  drizzle a small amount of EVOO over each bowl of soup.  Top with 2 crushed amaretti cookies.  The slight sweetness of the cookies makes the soup sing!  For a bit more tang, crumble a tablespoon of feta on top.

This soup tastes even better gently reheated the next day.  It also freezes well, just defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

My version - I may have used a bit more amaretti than Cibrèo did.  I like the sweetness.

Happy Thanksgiving 2024

Can you believe that Thanksgiving, the official start of the holiday season for Americans, is already upon us? It seems just yesterday we were complaining about summer’s heat and humidity in Italy !

I’ve spent the last 5 Thanksgivings in Italy, shared with a revolving group of friends which included a mix of Americans and other stranieri (foreigners) living in Italy, along with some Italians.  A true international celebration.  And although Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Italy, the Italians still go out of their way to wish us a Buon Giorno del Ringraziamento.

The smell of roasting chestnuts in Lucca tells me that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

A stuffed chicken breast, rolled with pancetta, makes a good substitute for Turkey

Thanksgivings in Lucca over the past 5 years have had an Italian flair mixed with American traditions.

We’ve found a good substitute for big American turkeys in local butcher shops, though fresh cranberries and canned pumpkin can be hard (sometimes impossible) to find. You don’t even want to know what I paid on Amazon to deliver 3 cans of pumpkin to Lucca last year!

On Thanksgiving day, everyone’s favorite dish adds up to a coordinated pot luck dinner. The celebration begins with Italian style appetizers and local wines. Dinner brings holiday comfort food American style - our “almost” turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussel spouts, and gravy. Of course there is pie for dessert. The gatherings have always been marked by warmth, laughter, and several exclamations of “boy, aren’t we lucky to live in Lucca”.

Thanksgiving 2023 - we were off to a good start with this gorgeous appetizer tray prepared by our hosts.

November along Lucca’s walls

This year is different.  Several of my group of friends have moved away – some returning to the US and others moving to different parts of Italy.  It’s sometimes hard to remember to give thanks in the face of big change, but I’m working on it. I know those friends are excited to embark on new adventures and I am happy for them. But I’ll be a touch sad to give up this holiday tradition. The photos here are a way for me to treasure the memories of all the Thanksgivings we have shared.

In addition to my still vibrant Lucchese community, Italy continues to provide many things for which I am thankful. This is especially true in the fall, my favorite Italian season - walks along the walls that surround Lucca’s historic center, fall colors in the leaves and in the markets, the annual olive harvest (and the chance to buy great EVOO straight from some friends’ olive trees), the smell of roasting chestnuts, my friendly farmacista (pharmacist) who gives gentle flu and covid shots, great cheese and wine, beautiful sunsets, game nights with friendly competition and lots of laughter, opportunities to travel, and a life-style that suits me perfectly.

 This year, for the first time since I moved to Lucca in 2018, I find myself in New Mexico for “turkey day” and the upcoming Christmas holidays. I will enjoy spending Thanksgiving with my family who are negotiating some big changes and challenges of their own.   I get the feeling that CHANGE is going to be the operative word for me in the coming year.  I am trying hard to embrace it !

Cranberry Apple Crumb pie = Thanksgiving in my family

So, this Thanksgiving, I will be thankful for friends near and far, my healthy wonderful family, and beautiful New Mexico skies.  I will also be happy that cranberries are so readily available here which means my family’s traditional cranberry apple pie will appear on the dinner table. There just might be some pumpkin cookies too.

I will also give thanks for the fact that I will be able to return to Lucca in early January, just in time to catch the last of the holiday season in the days leading up to Epifania (Epiphany).  And I’ll be really, really happy if I find my long term Permesso waiting for me when I arrive (fingers crossed!).

One more thing for which I will give thanks - this year I have met many blog readers as they have ventured to Lucca.  What fun that has been. I hope to meet more of you in the coming year - it’s not too early to start planning 2025 travel!

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, friends and family around your table, gravy without lumps, and an appreciation for all that we have to be thankful for.   Add to that the grace to negotiate life’s changes!

Walking along Lucca’s wall on a November evening is a special kind of magic.

An Evening in Venice

There are actually people who don’t like Venice.  Go figure! They find lots of things to complain about – the steps, the crowds, “smelly” canals, tour groups, cruise ships, pickpockets, the prices.  I feel bad for those people; they are really missing out.  With a little careful planning, an off-season arrival, and basic street smarts (canal smarts?) Venice is a wonder.      

Venice in mid-October. Lively but not terribly crowded.

 I recently spent one day in Venice, visiting from my base in nearby Padova.  Most of the day was spent at the Biennale Art event.  After seeing some of the exhibits, my friends and I took an almost-dusk evening stroll through Venice followed by dinner.

 We did not encounter big crowds other than in two spots.  First, on arrival, at the ticket booths for the vaporetti outside of the train station.  Definitely a spot to watch out for pickpockets.

The Bridge of Sighs

Next, in the early evening, in the area around the Bridge of Sighs and into Piazza San Marco.  The viewpoint near the Bridge of Sighs is where everyone stops for a photo. Other than those two spots, Venice was busy but not jam packed. Even Piazza San Marco, always a busy spot, wasn’t bad.

Piazza San Marco. As Venetian crowds go, this was great!

With my passport and credit cards tucked safely into my money belt, and a minimum of cash and a few other things in a small backpack, one whose zipper sits up against my back making it a not so easy target for thieves, I had no worries about pickpockets. This gave me the freedom to enjoy the views and take photos.

There were no cruise ships to be seen, thanks to the new rules which prohibit the biggest ones from docking in Venice. A great old sailing ship and some Naval vessels near the Arsenale were interesting and didn’t tower over the landscape.

Best of all was an amazing sunset view over the Grand Canal followed by a wander through the maze of back streets just beyond Piazza San Marco. 

 After a full day of art appreciation at the Biennale, and a stroll through Venice, we were hungry.  Luckily, we found Ristorante Central Venice, part wine bar and part restaurant. Located on a little side street, the atmosphere was warm, the staff friendly, the menu enticing (fresh seafood!), and the wine list included a good and moderately priced prosecco.  Perfect. 

 After dinner, it was time for a vaporetto ride back to the now uncrowded train station and a quick 30 minute ride back to Padova.  Our day in Venice was wonderful.  No complaints from me!

Steampunk, Italian Style

Steampunk is a type of science fiction that transports us not to the future but back to the past.  Back to an era of Victorian style combined with early industrial era mechanical devices.  

It’s almost as if a person in the 18th century was looking 100 years into the future and imagining what the world would be like.  Machines powered by steam, dark magic, devices made of bronze, time travelers, flying machines, good guys and evil. 

Steampunk fashion reflects this in its elaborate Victorian style costumes embellished with all sorts of mechanical Industrial Revolution era devices.  Think ladies in dresses with corsets, lace, and full skirts.  Victorian, but with an edgy feel.

Picture men in brocade suits, breeches, leather vests or jackets, top hats, and boots.  Men and women both sport goggles - they seem to be hallmarks of Steampunk style

 And it’s not just the adults - Steampunk kids are beautifully costumed as well.

Now, add in the industrial bits: clocks, gears, pocket watches, moveable wings, mechanical arms, metal face masks, fancy canes and weapons.   

One of my favorite parts of Lucca Comics and Games is the Steampunk Italia group which has a big presence throughout the event.  This year, there were 3 separate Steampunk gathering days.  All took place in Piazza San Michele and were followed by a parade through the center of Lucca.    Many of the participants wore different costumes on different days – some days black, other days white, one day even an a Puccini opera theme.

The costumes were elaborate, very individual, and nothing short of amazing. I can’t even guess at the number of hours that go into crafting each one. The little details – mechanical arms, elaborate face masks, industrial style devices strapped to backs, arms, embellished hats, fancy canes – just wow!

Steampunk Italia is one of the most photographed groups during the Comics event.  It’s easy to see why!

The 2025 Edition of Lucca Comics and Games will take place from Oct 30 to November 3rd. It’s not too soon to make plans to attend. 

Lucca Comics and Games 2024

I must admit that I have a bit of a “bah humbug” attitude about the huge Comic Con held each fall in Lucca. I think this is mostly due to not liking big crowds.  And Lucca is definitely crowded during Comics. Just imagine 80,000 people flowing into this small walled city each day of the 5 day event!   The streets are packed and going about normal business is pretty much impossible for those who live here.   

To escape the madness that is Comics, I usually plan an out of the city escape.  Last year, Florence.  The year before, Pontremoli. The year before that, PIenza. 

My one and only experience with Comics was in 2019, my first year living in Lucca.  But this year, I found myself in Lucca for the big event.

Perhaps my general feelings are better expressed in Italian - after all, doesn’t everything sound better in Italian?   So I will simply say that my usual attitude is Bah, che sciocchezza! (Oh, what nonsense). And yet, circumstances having conspired to keep me in Lucca this year, I decided to get out for a bit each day and experience Comics.  I found the “nonsense” to be a lot of fun!

 Even though the crowds were a bit overwhelming, I found several things to enjoy about Comics. Top of my list were the costumes.  For 5 days the streets of Lucca were filled with an amazing assortment of characters – superheroes, cartoon characters, pirates, medieval maidens, clowns, historical figures (both Dante and Jesus roamed the streets), monsters, sprites, and animals. 

 Another thing to appreciate were the children.  Comics is a family affair and a safe space to bring the kids.  The evening of Halloween was especially enjoyable due to all the costumed little ones roaming about. What’s more adorable then costumed kids, happy and smiling?

Even pets became part of the action!

The crowds, while large, were also very well behaved.  Costumed participants gladly posed for photos, there were a lot of oohs and aahs at the remarkable get ups, and everyone just seemed to want to have a good time.  Another plus - no worries about bad behavior and no safety concerns despite the huge number of people.

 A lot of the activity related to gaming, comic books, and movies took place in large tents erected throughout Lucca.  These were mostly ticketed events with lines to enter.  Definitely not my thing, but clearly a big draw to participants in the Comics and Games event.

 The pictures posted here are from the first 2 ½ days of the event.  More photos and can found on the Two Parts Italy Facebook page and IG.

Photos from the last couple of days to come next week.