Escarole Soup

They say that 'chicken soup is good for the soul', but personally I have always found that almost any soup is good for the soul. Soups are warm comfort dishes for me. I love trying new soups whenever I get the chance. Recently I came across this recipe for Escarole Soup and just had to try it. It's a very simple, subtly-flavored soup that is warm and comforting as well. This soup left me wanting more, and I didn't even feel guilty about having a second bowl since it's such a healthy recipe.

Escarole is a cultivated variety of endive, a green leaf vegetable rich in vitamins A and K and high in fiber. Escarole is also called broad-leaved endive and has broad, pale green leaves. It is also considerably less bitter than other varieties. Typically it is eaten like other greens, saut�ed, chopped into soups and stews and even eaten as part of a green salad.Nonna is the blogger of �Cooking with Nonna�, a food blog that �shares Grandma's Italian recipes with the new generations�. Escarole soup is actually a traditional dish in Italian culture and is made to celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. Escarole soup is very similar to the better known Italian Wedding soup (which sometimes utilizes escarole). The main difference between the two is that Italian Wedding soup includes meat (usually meatballs or sausage).

Olive oil is used to fry the garlic and saut� the escarole. Olive oil, in the United States, is allowed to be marketed as a product that �may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil� (although a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established with sufficient scientific evidence for the FDA's approval). Make sure you don't substitute olive oil for any other type. The olive oil is less greasy and healthier. Also a healthy option is the low-salt (low sodium) chicken broth. A serving of low sodium chicken broth has 38 calories, 1 g of fat only 3% of daily sodium intake. While regular chicken broth has only 10 calories and 1 g of fat, it also contains 31% of daily sodium intake per similar serving size. That is a huge amount of sodium in one dish, especially when this soup recipe calls for �salt and pepper to taste�. Do your soup a favor, and flavor this soup yourself. Your heart, mouth and tummy will all thank you!

Nonna also reminds her soup recipe reader not to forget the grated Pecorino-Romano cheese. Pecorino is made from 100% sheep's milk and is one of the most ancient types of cheese, dating back to the Roman times when this cheese was a staple diet of soldiers at war. Pecorino-Romano is one of the more widely used, sharper tasting alternatives to Parmesan (you may substitute if you wish, for Parmesan � but the authentic flavor of traditional Escarole soup will be more prevalent with Pecorino-Romano).