AI-generated image
Minestra di tenerumi
Squash leaf and spaghetti soup
Minestra di tenerumi (minestra di tenerumi): Sicily's summer soup of tender long-squash leaves, tomato and broken spaghetti
In Palermo and across Sicily, July and August bring bunches of tenerumi, the soft leaves and shoots of the long cucuzza squash, to every market stall, and families turn them into this light, brothy minestra for supper, often eaten warm rather than hot. The leaves cook down with garlic, ripe tomato and a little potato, and broken spaghetti is cooked right in the pot. It tastes green, sweet and gently garlicky, with about 5 g of protein per portion from the pasta and greens; grate pecorino over the top if you are not cooking it vegan (traditional pecorino uses animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian hard cheese). The common mistake is using only the large, tough leaves: pick the tender tops and shoots and strip the stringy stems. Chef's tip: let it rest for 10 minutes off the heat before serving; Sicilians say the flavour comes together as it cools a little.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz tenerumi (long squash leaves and shoots)tender tops only; or courgette leaves, or chard with 1 small courgette
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlicsliced
- 9 oz ripe tomatoespeeled and chopped
- 1 potatosmall, diced
- 5 cups waterhot
- 3 ½ oz spaghettibroken into 3 cm pieces
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)
- 6 leaves fresh basil (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Strip 14 oz tenerumi (long squash leaves and shoots) from their tough stems, keeping the leaves and the soft tips. Wash well and chop roughly.
Step 2: Warm 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a wide pot over a medium-low heat and cook 2 cloves garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant but not coloured. Add 9 oz ripe tomatoes and 1 pinch dried chilli flakes and cook for 5 minutes, until they break down into a loose sauce.
6 minStep 4: Add 3 ½ oz spaghetti and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is just tender. The soup should be brothy, not thick; add a splash of hot water if needed.
8 minStep 5: Take off the heat, tear in 6 leaves fresh basil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm, with a thread of olive oil on each bowl.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does minestra di tenerumi take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Boiled pasta
The basic method for any dried pasta, from penne to spaghetti. A large pan of salted boiling water keeps the pasta from sticking, and you cook it only until just done, with a little bite left. Use it in salads, bakes or with any sauce.
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino