heart, i implore you
...it's time to come back from the dark
the days are now blustery and grey. it gets dark around 4 pm and yet, 6 pm has the air of it being midnight. on the days i’m really tired, early evening feels like it’s already 2 am. it’s all disorienting and draining and i find myself wanting to sleep in in the mornings and crawl into bed early in the evenings. i’m searching for tenderness where i can and sometimes that is measuring how tall my plants have grown, burying my face into my covers and my pillows while watching clips on dogs and raccoons that make me cry, showers with the handle turned to the hottest temperature it can go, the morning light gently blooming against the walls, warm socks and cashmere fingerless gloves that viv bought for me, the very crisp and cold air that floods my apartment in the mornings and in the evenings (a practice in lüften), too many cups of coffee in bed with warmed milk, cinnamon and honey, early morning phone calls while still half asleep, midday naps that are only meant to be thirty minutes but last for two hours, foods that are heavy and rich and most importantly: warm.
i used to convince myself that i am not a soup person but i think that isn’t particularly true. as i get older, i find myself desperately wanting a bowl of hot soup or a piping hot mug of bone broth when it is even a little bit chilly outside. i had a friend tell me that when she doesn’t know what to eat, she always relies on soup. i thought that was charming and endearing even though i didn’t really understand it at the time. but now, i get it. these days, when i don’t know what to eat - there’s always soup.
this is one of my favorite soups. it’s a take on minestrone but with a lot of dill, fresh tomatoes, lemon zest and the cutest little pasta shape.
what you need
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 large stalk of celery, finely diced
1 medium sized onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, chopped into small bite sized pieces
1 medium zucchini, diced into bite sized pieces
1 bunch of lacinato kale, stems removed and finely chopped
1.5 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large bunch of dill, divided
4 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable)
28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (do not drain)
1 can of cannellini beans (or butter beans)
1 package of stelline pastina
dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 parmesan rind
1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated parmesan
1 container of store bought pesto or make your own!
in a large stock pot, heat up 1/4 cup of olive oil on medium heat. once the oil is hot and shimmering, saute your onion, carrot and celery until soft. make sure to keep your soffrito from burning by constantly stirring it around with a wooden spoon and adjusting your heat as necessary. once the soffrito is softened, add the 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. it’s important to watch the heat during this part of the recipe so the garlic doesn’t burn!
add the potatoes, the zucchini, and cherry tomatoes and continue cooking on medium/ medium high heat while constantly stirring things around the pot to prevent burning. i season this a bit with salt.
pour in the 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes along with the juices, chicken stock, lacinato kale, parmesan rind, bay leaf, dried oregano according to taste, half the sprigs of dill, salt and freshly ground pepper and bring to a boil. once it comes to a boil, let it gently simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
while the soup is simmering, in a small separate pot, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. cook the stelline pastina according to directions. once cooked, drain and set aside.
once all the vegetables are very tender, add the can of beans and let cook for an additional 5-10 minutes on a very gentle simmer.
when serving, ladle the soup into the bowl, add the pastina, top with dollops of pesto, freshly grated parmesan, a sprinkle of flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper, a few sprigs of dill, a big squeeze of lemon juice and lemon zest. enjoy.
you an also add sausage if you wanted or prosciutto, chicken or lardon but it’s perfectly good in it’s vegetarian form. this soup also does well for leftovers, just keep the cooked pasta separate and add when you’re reading to eat!
let’s not forget: call for a ceasefire now.
image source.
here with you always.
Love these cozy details!!