Soup alla Canavese

After living in Piedmont for more than five years, I thought I knew the region’s traditional dishes. Then, strangely enough, it took a short stay in an Italian hospital for me to discover one of Piedmont’s most comforting soups: Zuppa alla Canavese.

Normally hospital food is pretty horrible, but in Italy, at least in the hospital where I was a patient, it was excellent.

The menu on the first night included this soup alla canavese as the starter. I ordered it expecting very little, but instead I was very pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, they didn't allow seconds, but since then I have continued to enjoy it regularly, and this recipe is the one I always use. 

Like many traditional Italian dishes, Zuppa alla Canavese changes from village to village. The version I first tasted in Piedmont was a lighter broth-based recipe with cauliflower and Parmesan, while many families in the Canavese area prepare a richer version with layers of bread, cabbage, and cheese.

By the way, Canavese is a historic area in northern Piedmont, north of Turin, stretching towards the Alpine foothills.

Ingredients:

• White stock,
• Four ounces of butter,
• One onion,
• One carrot,
• One stalk of celery
• One cauliflower,
• Two leaves of sage,
• Parmesan,
• Salt,
• Pepper.
• Four tablespoonsful of tomato puree

Cooking Instructions

1) Chop up an onion, a carrot, a stick of celery, and a little bacon fat, and fry all together in four ounces of butter.

2) Cover them with a good white stock, boil for a few minutes, sieve, and add four tablespoons of tomato puree.

3) Blanch a cauliflower in salted water; let it cool and drain. Break it into little bunches and add to the stock two leaves of dried sage, crumbled up, and a little bit of chopped parsley; let it all boil together; add in a pinch of grated cheese and some pepper to taste.

4) Serve with grated Parmesan and a few basil leaves as a garnish.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

Soup alla Canavese can be enjoyed as a starter or a main course, and it is a wonderful way to sneak more veggies into your meals. Feel free to add whatever vegetables you love or toss in some chicken or beans for extra protein. For a heartier meal, stir in some small pasta like ditalini or broken spaghetti—it soaks up the flavors beautifully.

If you’re following a vegan or vegetarian diet, it’s easy to adapt by using vegetable stock instead of white stock and skipping the Parmesan—still delicious and full of flavor.

All in all, Soup alla Canavese is a tasty, healthy dish that’s perfect for a family dinner or a quiet night at home. Trust me, once you try it, it’ll become one of your go-to comfort foods.

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