Rice and Potato Soup

One of my favourite winter soups belongs to the traditional family cuisine of my town. The literary source is Ada Boni's "La cucina di Roma" which I think has not been translated but I suppose her "Italian Regional Cooking" should include it as well. The real sources, though, are my mother and especially my grandmother, Carlotta, who was able to share the same memories of culinary simplicity that inspired Ada Boni.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  large potatoes
• 1  small carrot
• 10  cm celery
• 1  teaspoon parsley
• 1⁄4 small onion
• 1  garlic clove
• 4  tablespoons tomato puree
• 1  cup risotto rice
• 4  tablespoons parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Cut the potatos in small cubes or, for a faster and more cremy soup, into small, very thin squares.
2. Chop onion, garlic, carrot, celery and parsely into a very very thin mix known in Rome as "battuto", beaten.
3. In a deep pot heat the oil, add the chopped vegetables and stir for a few seconds. Add the tomato souce and salt if needed, and let it cook for a couple of minutes until it fries.
4. Pour at least 4 cups of water and, when it boils, add the potatoes. Let the soup cook for a few minutes until the potatoes are tender, then add the rice.
5. Bring the soup to the table when the rice is still a bit hard, and let people add freshly grated parmigiano.