The longest shortest month
and a recipe for zuppa alla Frantoiana to get you through February
If there was ever a month to kick out the door, it’s January.
Even though we’re still in the throes of winter, there is something inherently hopeful about February. It could be the first full day of sun I’m basking in after January’s endless grey skies. The slowly but surely lengthening of the days. The peculiar perennial phenomenon of people breaking out their shorts the minute the temperature hovers around 5C.
Yes, it really is too cold for shorts, but hope springs eternal, even with an extra day tacked on to the end of this month
The longest shortest month
One of February’s most attractive features may well be its length. Twenty eight days can fly by in a blink. It almost seems cruel to have our precious shortest month lengthened even just a bit.
But if we adjust the lens of our perspective, we might wish for even a few days more.
In a thought-provoking podcast about climate change, Dekila Chungyalpa challenges us to reconsider our perception of time through the lens of nature. She poses an intriguing question: "Does your breathing change when you imagine it’s the landscape breathing?" This invites us to step outside our human-centric view of time as a finite resource in a relentless race, and instead, to embrace a cyclical, more expansive concept of time in the restorative quiet of winter.
“Light precedes every transition. Whether at the end of a tunnel, through a crack in the door or the flash of an idea, it is always there, heralding a new beginning.”
—Teresa Tsalaky
As we soldier on to the vernal equinox, using this time of transition can be a gift that’s easily overlooked.
Today the sun will set at 5:28 pm…by February 29 it will set at 6:06 pm. In the almost imperceptible shifting of the light, our minds may be wakening to possibilities, if we sit quietly enough to listen.
Zuppa alla Frantoiana
Saveur magazine
serves 6-8
No matter what’s happening outside my door, it’s still officially soup season here at Delicious Bits. Richard is the undisputed king of soups, and this is one of my favourites.
This Tuscan vegetable soup hails from Lucca, home to many outstanding family-run trattorie. What gives it freshness is the addition of mixed herbs and greens to finish. Mix and match them to your liking or whatever the depths of your refrigerator reveal.
1½ cups dried borlotti (cranberry) beans, soaked 6–10 hours, drained
2 garlic cloves, 1 whole, 1 smashed
¼ cup coarsely chopped sage leaves, divided
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish the soup
1½ teaspoons tomato paste
3 cups coarsely chopped washed kale leaves
5 cups coarsely chopped white cabbage leaves
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ½-in. cubes
½ medium fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 small leek, white and pale green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 cups cubed peeled kabocha or butternut squash
1 small zucchini, sliced ¼ inch thick
Greens to finish: any combination of mint, parsley, dandelion greens, fennel fronds or whatever herbs you prefer
Place a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat and add 16 cups of water, the borlotti beans, the whole garlic clove and half the sage. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium-low and cook until the beans are just soft, about 1½ hours. Remove from the heat.
Put the smashed garlic and oil in a small pot over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5–8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and remaining sage and cook, continuing to stir, until the paste has darkened slightly, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sage to a cutting board; when cool enough to handle, finely chop it and add it to the pot with the beans. Reserve one cup of beans.
Using a potato masher, lightly mash the remaining beans. Stir in the tomato paste mixture, season with salt to taste, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Add the kale and bring to a boil again. Turn heat to medium and add the cabbage, carrot, fennel, and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions, leek, squash, and zucchini, turn heat down to medium-low and cook until all of the vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Stir in the greens and serve with crusty bread alongside.