Prosciutto Soup Recipes

GARLIC SOUP WITH CRISPY PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, trim the top off of each head of garlic, keeping the bulb intact. Place each bulb in a square of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Drizzle each bulb with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and about 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves. Wrap foil around bulbs and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until garlic is very tender. Open foil carefully by cutting along top with a sharp knife, allowing steam to escape; then open top.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chopped shallots and saute on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, remaining thyme and bay leaf. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves into the pot. Saute for 3 minutes over medium heat. Stir in broth and 1 cup cream. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes to cool. Remove thyme and bay leaf.
• For the prosciutto, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place slices flat on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until crispy. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Break the prosciutto into small pieces and set aside. In a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; return to pot. Stir in remaining cup of cream and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with crispy prosciutto, lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Finish with a few leaves of parsley.

PROSCIUTTO AND MELON SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the prosciutto slices on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until firm, golden around the edges, and almost crisp, about 18 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
• Place half the melon in the blender with half the tomatoes. Pulse the blender until the mixture is pureed. Pour the soup in a large bowl. Puree the remaining melon and tomatoes and add to the bowl. Add the salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into bowls. Crumble the cooled prosciutto crisps over the top of the soup. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

PROSCIUTTO SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a pot or kettle. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Chop the prosciutto (remove the fat if you must, but remember that it has flavor) into 1/4-inch or smaller cubes and add to the oil. Brown, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, while you prepare the garlic, onion, and greens.
• Peel the garlic and chop it roughly or leave it whole. Peel and chop the onion. Wash and chop the greens into bite-sized pieces.
• When the prosciutto has browned, add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to color, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it becomes translucent, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the greens and stir, then add the boiling water. (You can prepare the dish in advance up to this point. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, then reheat before proceeding.) Stir in the pasta and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper; adjust the heat so the mixture simmers.
• When the pasta is done, taste and adjust the seasoning. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve.
• Variations
• The basic recipe, though delicious, is on the meager side, the kind of soup people make when times are hard or no one's been shopping lately: a small piece of meat, some common vegetables, a little pasta. But you can make it as elaborate as you like and even convert it to a stew by doubling the amount of meat, vegetables, and pasta. The chopping time will be extended slightly, but the cooking time will remain more or less the same.
• Add more root vegetables, like thinly sliced carrots or chopped celery, or diced potatoes or turnips.
• Vary the greens: Shredded cabbage is perfect for this soup and will cook as quickly as kale. Collard, mustard, and turnip greens are also appropriate. Some peas and/or corn will work nicely, too, even if they come from the freezer.
• Use any starch you like in place of the pasta: Rice and barley, each of which take a few minutes longer than pasta, are good choices.
• Add tomatoes, either fresh, canned, or paste, for color and flavor. To use tomato paste, just stir a couple of tablespoons into the sautéing vegetables before adding the water. Tomatoes should be added with the onions so they have time to break up.
• Leftovers are great, like a bit of chopped chicken or some vegetables from a previous meal (rinse them with boiling water if they were sauced).
• Consider the chopped-up rind of hard cheese, like Parmesan, which will not only soften enough to become edible during cooking but will add great flavor to the soup.

PROSCIUTTO AND EGG SOUP

Steps:

• Combine the farro and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook until the farro is tender but chewy, 10 to 20 minutes, or according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove half the prosciutto with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Drizzle in the remaining tablespoon olive oil, and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the escarole and another 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir for 1 minute to wilt. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until the escarole is completely softened. Stir in the cooked farro. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill a high-sided skillet with 1 1/2 inches of water. Add the vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a very gentle simmer. Break the eggs, spaced apart, into the water. Cover and turn off the heat. After 3 minutes the whites should be set and the yolks still soft. Remove the poached eggs with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
• Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Top each bowl with a poached egg, a generous sprinkling of Parmesan, the reserved crisped prosciutto and some pepper.

ROAST TOMATO SOUP WITH BASIL AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Core the tomatoes - use the tip of a sharp paring knife to make a shallow cut all around the stem end, and then pop out the core.
• Cut the tomato into halves if small, or quarters if large.
• Place the tomatoes on a roasting tray, with cut sides facing up.
• Sprinkle with raw sugar, salt and pepper.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hour, checking from time to time that they are not burning.
• Remove and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy based pan.
• Gently saute the onions and garlic until onions are soft and translucent.
• Add the roasted tomatoes with all the juices from the baking tray, the tinned tomatoes and their juice, white wine, stock and 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
• Remove from heat and add basil leaves, keeping four to six aside for garnish.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 390F in preparation for crisping the proscuitto.
• Blend the soup with a stick blender or food processor and then pass through a fine sieve.
• Check for seasoning and, if desired add another teaspoon of sugar and pepper to taste - you probably won't need to add any salt as the proscuitto is quite salty already (see below).
• Place the sliced prosciutto on a cake rack and set on an oven tray.
• Cook the proscuitto for 5-8 minutes or until crisp.
• Remove from oven, cool on rack and crumble into pieces.
• Just before serving, bring the soup to a simmer, add the cream and heat through gently.
• Pour the hot soup into 6 shallow bowls.
• Sprinkle with crispy prosciutto and sliced basil, and serve.

PROSCIUTTO FAVE MINESTRONE ALLA RISO

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon in olive oil until brown. Stir in ham and cook a few minutes more. Stir in celery (reserve the leaves), onion and carrot and cook until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more.
• Stir in tomatoes, broth, rice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and rice is nearly tender.
• Stir in cranberry beans and white beans and heat through. Stir in parsley and celery leaves and remove from heat. Serve hot.