Recipe:
Acquacotta 
Yes, you read that correctly - cooked water! We shared this one not too long ago but as the weather gets cold here in Iowa we've been eating a lot of it. One of those great soups to use up whatever is in the 'fridge about to go bad and especially tasty with a fresh egg from your farmers market. We first discovered this during our time living in Viterbo where a place just under our apartment served up a wonderful version. Heather's recipe comes very close.
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 1 lb fresh, peeled and diced)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
2 small potatoes,peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound greens (chicory, spinach, cabbage, broccoli rabe)
Handful of fresh mentuccia (a mint-like herb)
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 eggs
Parmigiano Reggiano
4 slices stale country bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Acquacotta means "cooked water" and the distinctive thing about this soup is that the vegetables
are cooked in water rather than sautéed in oil. Begin by putting the tomatoes, plus two cans full
of water (about 1 liter) into a pot. Add the rest of the vegetables and simmer covered for at least
an hour until the vegetables are soft, but not falling apart. Add the fresh mentuccia, red pepper
flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, drop one egg per person into the soup
and top it with about a teaspoon grated parmigiano. Cover the pot and simmer until the white is
cooked through but the yolk is still liquid (about 5 minutes). Toast the slices of bread and rub
them with garlic, if desired. Arrange the toasts in the bottom of large bowls, then ladle the soup
with egg over the top. Garnish with olive oil-the tradition in Viterbo is to pour the olive oil in
the shape of a cross.
**Note on Ingredients: Potatoes in Italy are very flavorful, so avoid russets and go for
something more like a Yukon Gold or heirloom potato. Mentuccia is common in Rome
and greater Lazio, but it may be difficult to find. A small amount of fresh mint or basil is a
reasonable substitution.
Serves 4
