In her book Lidia’s From Our Family Table to Yours: More Than 100 Recipes Made with Love for All Occasions, chef and restauranteur Lidia Bastianich shares a take on tomato soup that doesn’t require any help to be a full meal (though a good grilled cheese would certainly pair well). “Tomato soup is a popular soup in America, but here is an Italian rendition that can be a main course. Though I have added clams, it can be made with mussels, shrimps, scallops or even mixed seafood; just mind the cooking time that each requires,” Bastianich writes. “You can leave a few clams in their shells for an attractive presentation, as I do here, or remove them all.”
Tomato Soup With Fregola and Clams
Lidia Bastianich's recipe for an Italian-style tomato soup with fregola and clams (or another seafood of your choosing).
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 4 garlic cloves crushed and peeled, plus 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 can (28 oz) whole San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand
- kosher salt
- ½ tsp peperoncino flakes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 lbs Manila or small littleneck clams
- 1 lbs fregola
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the crushed garlic and thyme, and cook until the garlic is sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 2 quarts water. Season with 2 tsp salt and the peperoncino. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat another Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the sliced garlic, let it sizzle for a minute, and then pour in the white wine. Bring it to a simmer, and add the clams. Cover, and cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes; discard any that do not. Remove the clams to a large bowl with a spider strainer, and strain the cooking liquid over the top. Let it cool. Pluck the clams from their shells, and leave them in the liquid, discarding the shells.
- Once the tomato mixture has thickened, add the fregola and cook until it’s al dente, about 20 minutes (see note). Stir in the clams and their liquid, and the parsley. Simmer to heat the clams through and bring all the flavors together, about 2 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Fregola comes in different sizes. I use large ones here, but if yours are smaller, start checking for doneness after 10 minutes.
More Italian recipes from Lidia Bastianich
Easy Cherry Tomato Pasta
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Kale, Avocado and Pistachio Salad
One of Lidia Bastianich favourite salad combinations: kale ribbons with soft avocado and crunchy pistachios.
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Kale, Avocado and Pistachio Salad
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Eggplant Rollatini
Lidia Bastianich's recipe for eggplant rollatini, a Southern-Italian dish of breaded eggplant stuffed with cheese and baked in tomato sauce.
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Eggplant Rollatini
Lidia Bastianich's recipe for eggplant rollatini, a Southern-Italian dish of breaded eggplant stuffed with cheese and baked in tomato sauce.
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