2021 Giro d’Italia - Stage 10: L’Aquila to Foligno
Well, I missed today’s live coverage, but it’s the last day of 10 consecutive days of racing and a pretty short one at that. I’m sure it is a welcome relief to the riders who must be looking forward to their first rest day, tomorrow. As for myself, no off-day tomorrow, as it’ll be Top Chef Tuesday! So while the riders get a couple of rest days over the duration of the Giro, I will be posting at least 23 days in-a-row this month. Memorial Day can’t get here soon enough!
Today’s route took the riders from Abruzzo, briefly through Lazio, and finally into Umbria. The day ends in Foligno, about 5 miles SE of Cannara; home of the Cannara onion. This type of onion is a mild and sweet yellow onion (a flavor hybrid of Cipollini and Shallot) which is celebrated during a 2-week long festival every year. Today’s dish features the onion, as well, in this lovely Cipollata in Tazza (onion soup in a cup). This soup is stellar and, if I must say so myself, much better than French Onion Soup, which tends to be a bit dingy. This is bright and clean and sure to be a hit with all of your guests or family.
Onion Soup (Cipollata in Tazza)
adapted from The Italian Regional Cookbook, Valentina Harris
If you can’t find Cannara onions, which are extremely hard to come by in the States, try a mix of two-parts yellow onion to one-part shallot.
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 oz lardo, finely minced (or fatty part of salt pork, rind removed)
3.5 lbs Cannara onions, peeled, halved and sliced ¼-inch thick
5 or 6 basil leaves, chiffonade cut
1.25 lbs tomatoes
3 eggs, lightly beaten (for finishing the soup)
Fresh croutons
Pecorino Romano cheese
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil and lardo over medium-high heat. Then stir in the onions with a heavy pinch of salt and black pepper and the basil. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook slowly for an hour, stirring occasionally; never browning the onions.
Meanwhile, blanch, peel, seed and dice the tomatoes. After an hour of cooking the onions, stir in the tomatoes along with 4 cups of water along with another pinch of salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer for another hour.
Meanwhile, dice some fresh bread into cubes and drizzle them with olive oil. Season the bread cubes with salt, pepper, and dried Italian herbs, and toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet and toast in a 400 degree oven until golden-brown. Reserve.
After the soup has cooked the additional hour, taste for any seasoning needs. Then take about ½ cup of the hot soup liquid and whisk into the eggs to temper them. Then whisk the egg/soup mixture into the pot of soup.
Ladle the soup into bowls (or large cups, as is tradition) and top with croutons, a sprinkling of cheese, and serve. ______________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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