LIFESTYLE

The Healthy Italian: Tomato, White Bean & Cauliflower Soup with Spaghettini and Lemon Polenta Cake

Fina Scroppo The Healthy Italian: Cooking For the Love of Food and Family
Published Friday, November 1, 2013 7:28AM EDT Last Updated Wednesday, November 6, 2013 6:14AM EST

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When we were growing up, making a quick and healthy meal meant adding to what already worked well. In most cases, it was building a dish on the prevalent go-to ingredients of pasta and tomato sauce. The cold cellar shelves were already neatly stocked with Mason jars of homemade tomato sauce and cupboard space was plentiful of dry pasta, so together they formed the basis for so many other tantalizing dishes. This one was one of them, which first comes together with an intoxicating sizzle of garlic followed by fresh ingredients that simmer gently until the heavyweights - beans and pasta - enter the pot for bulk. It's a simple combination yet it's filling enough to get the family through soccer practice, dance class or a bike ride.

1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
½ cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) no-salt-added whole peeled tomatoes with purée or juice
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable stock
½ cup red wine
1 tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) no-salt-added cannellini beans (or white kidney or navy beans), rinsed and drained, divided
2 tbsp minced fresh sage leaves
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 bay leaf
½ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 oz (175 g) whole-grain spaghettini*
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese for serving (optional)

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add celery and cauliflower and stir continuously until they start to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes.

In the meantime, pulse the canned tomatoes, along with purée, in the bowl of a food processor or blender until smooth and add to pot. Stir in broth, wine, tomato paste, half the beans, sage, basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Mash by hand the remaining beans and add to pot - this will add a bit of creaminess to broth. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Over a small bowl, use your hands to break spaghettini into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces. Add to pot and cook for another 8 minutes, or until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot with freshly grated cheese, if using.

Kale Salad with Grilled Pear, Goat's Cheese & Pecans (Insalata di cavolo con pera grigliata, formaggio di capra e pecan)

Long before the fusion of sweet and savory was adopted by foodies, my mom had embraced it. Her Mediterranean roots exposed her to pairings of fruit with other atypical ingredients. In fact, ever since I was a kid, I remember her gazing out the window while snacking on pears or grapes, a couple leaves of lettuce, a slice of bread and a few chunks of cheese for good measure. She was usually taking a quiet break from the roaring sewing machine that as a seamstress demanded her attention for hours at a time. I'm equally drawn to dishes like this that offer a mix of surprises for the palate - and judging from the reaction this salad gets, I'm not the only one.

Dressing
1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tbsp each: freshly squeezed lemon juice and red wine vinegar
1 tsp pure maple syrup
¼ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad
6 cups packed shredded kale (see tip)
1 ripe Bartlett pear
4 to 5 tbsp crumbled light goat's cheese (2 oz/56 g)
2 tbsp chopped pecans

Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.

In a large salad bowl, toss kale with dressing. Don't be afraid to get your hands in there - once oil coats kale, it's especially soothing to toss it with your hands, so enjoy the free therapy! Refrigerate for 20 minutes (or up to 3 hours) to let kale absorb flavors.

Preheat grill to medium setting. Cut pear into ½-inch (1-cm) slices; lightly coat them with cooking spray. Grill pears for 2 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Slice pear into thin strips.

Just before serving, remove kale from fridge and toss well. Serve with pear slices, goat's cheese and pecans.

TIPS:
* Remove tough rib in the center of leaf by folding it and slicing off greens from stalk. Discard ribs and slice kale thinly into long strips.
* Baby kale, which is tender, bite-sized leaves, is starting to make an appearance in grocery stores. Great news if you want to cut down on preparing this salad and eliminate the work of cutting out the tough rib in each leaf. Look for it in the salad section where you'll find boxed salads.

4-5 Servings
40 min or less
gluten-free
meatless
make ahead (2-3 hours)

Lemon Polenta Cake (Torta di Polenta con Limone)

My love of lemons has grown since tasting them from my late grandfather's orchard in Sicily. There you'll find them in desserts like granita, gelato and almond cookies. Although you may not expect them paired with a savory ingredient like cornmeal, lemons give this slightly gritty, slightly sweetened cake the perfect touch of tanginess.

¾ cup fine yellow cornmeal (see tip)
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup oat flour
1/3 cup raw cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
2 large eggs, beaten
¾ cup low-fat 2% vanilla Greek yogurt
1/3 cup 1% buttermilk or milk
3 tbsp light butter, melted
Zest of 1 lemon
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon syrup (optional)
½ cup icing (confectioner's) sugar
2½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp limoncello liqueur
Zest of ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir until fully incorporated.

Whisk together eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, butter and lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine well with a spatula until they're fully blended.

Grease a 9-inch round non-stick cake pan. Pour cake batter into pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the lemon syrup. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

Serve cake slice with a drizzle of lemon syrup and a sprig of fresh mint. If you like a sweeter cake, take a toothpick and prick the cake every few inches to create little “funnels.” Pour and spread syrup over entire cake.

[TIPS]
* If you like less texture, look for an extra-fine cornmeal or give it a whirl in the bowl of a food processor for 5 minutes before using.
* When zesting the lemon, don't over-grate it. Rotate your lemon evenly as you grate and be sure to stop grating once you've reached the white membrane (pith), which adds bitterness.

LOW IN...FAT
To smooth out the sandy texture of the cornmeal, some traditional recipes add a wallop of fat, up to 1 cup of oil. This scrumptious cake leaves much of the oil in the bottle and serves up a moist treat that goes exceptionally well with a frothy cappuccino, steeped tea or a tall glass of milk. Bottoms up!

Servings: 8 to 10
40 min or less

PER SERVING(based on 10) 210 CALORIES | 6 G TOTAL FAT (3 G SATURATED FAT) | 56 MG CHOLESTEROL | 249 MG SODIUM | 34 G CARBOHYDRATE | 2 G FIBER | 8 G PROTEIN

HIGH IN... FIBER

There is a trio of fiber-rich foods packed into this soup - cannellini beans, cauliflower and whole-grain pasta. They alone provide 30 percent of the daily recommended intake of fiber. This soup is also low in fat and delivers a hefty amount of vitamin B1, vitamin C and protein.