Zuppa and Lucca

Almost four years ago when my husband and I set out for Italy on our honeymoon, I had no idea the adventure and gastronomical delights that awaited us.

And Italy didn't disappoint on either count.

We started out our honeymoon in Rome, seeing the major sights and settling into large lunches every afternoon where we occasionally ended up with three entrees instead of two. Damn that language barrier ... but not really since it worked to our advantage enabling us to sample more of the local delicacies.

Lunch in Roma circa November 2006.

Lunch was capped off by my daily visit to a gelateria. Occasionally, I even had gelato for dinner.  Is there anything more gluttonous?  After several days in Rome, we drove into Tuscany to a beautiful villa that was awaiting us.

There was only one problem.

The villa didn’t exist.

Details, details.  (It's a long story and if you're ever over for dinner, we'll recount it for you but for now, back to the blog post.)

Ah yes, an early test for our very young marriage. After driving around for two hours looking for the villa and discovering it did not exist, we headed back in the direction we had come from trying to re-calibrate our plans.

We rebounded nicely and settled in the charming small town of Lucca for two days as we figured out our game plan for the rest of the honeymoon. I also introduced Dan to a McCarthy family rule of thumb: when all else fails, EAT!

And so we found ourselves in a small trattoria in Lucca for dinner after a very long day of driving on Italian roads with me navigating which was a debacle in and of itself given my very poor map-reading abilities. It was a slightly chilly November night and the restaurant was bustling with families and young couples. At this point, I think we were both a bit homesick for the States given our tough day.

As I eyed the menu, my eyes lit up when I discovered Zuppa di Lenticchie on the menu. Lentil soup!  My mom makes the most wonderful lentil soup and a bowl of it was just what I needed to put the day behind me and make me feel at home in this town we hadn't expected to be in.

The soup was divine.  It was thick and stew-like.  The lentils were cooked perfectly and the soup smelled and tasted of herbs including rosemary, just like my mom's.  I can't even tell you what the rest of the meal consisted of because I was so taken by the soup.

As it turned out, that dinner was the start to a terrific two days in a town we would have never visited but for our villa catastrophe.  I credit the Zuppa for getting us back on the right track.

A bowl of Zuppa di Lenticchie alla Diane I made recently.

Zuppa di Lenticchie alla Diane
This soup freezes well and is delicious on a cool, fall or winter's day.

Ingredients:
2 celery stocks, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 large container Chicken Broth
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup dry lentils, rinsed
3/4 cup barley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary crushed (you can use fresh if you want)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup parmesan cheese

Details
*In a large soup pot, melt the butter and saute the celery, onion and garlic until tender.
*Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, lentils, barley, oregano, rosemary and pepper, bring to a boil.
*Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until lentils and barley are almost tender.
*Once cooked, you can garnish each bowl of soup with parmesan cheese if desired.