Spinach and "Peppercorns" Soup

Here is another gem from my childhood, made almost just the way my mama did it! Again, very easy and inexpensive.  Minimalism is key.  Acini di pepe, one of my favorite little pastas, means "peppercorns!" How cute is that? Very. 

10 oz of fresh spinach, chopped (frozen is acceptable!)

4 mega cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed in your fingers                   
1/4 cup olive oil
7 cups of veggie broth
1/2-3/4 cup whole wheat acini di pepe
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste


Over medium heat, saute the garlic, red pepper flakes and a tiny bit of sea salt in the olive oil.  Let the flavors infuse the oil. So so So so much garlic, I love it.

Do not let the garlic burn!! Lower the heat if necessary.  After a couple of minutes, add all of the spinach.  Turn and Stir until the greens begin to reduce and turn bright green.  This should just take a minute.  Then add all of the broth plus some salt to taste and turn the heat up to high, bringing the liquid to a boil.


Now, one of my rules is to never boil the pasta in the soup if you are not going to eat all of it in one sitting.  Trust me, this one won't be a problem.  If there are 2-4 people, it will all be gone.  If you are cooking for one, you may want to think about boiling the pasta separately because storage will allow the little peppercorns to soak up all the broth.  OR cut the recipe in half! It tastes damn good to cook the pasta in the soup this time around.

So anyways, add the acini to the boiling stock.  Then turn it down to medium heat, keeping a low boil going for 6 minutes.  Squeeze in the one tablespoon of lemon juice and stir.  Remove from heat! Ta da!

Serve with lots of black pepper and lots of crusty baguette. 

lots of love,

jp