Part Four of Italian (Soups) Cooking

Before I get started on Italian cooking (Part 4-Soups) there are a few items I'd like to mention.  First, I hope everyone had a great holiday season as we start off the 2013 calendar year.  Second, the "Cabana Boy Cooks" blog broke the 12,000 hits a few hours after Christmas day.  I would like to "Thank" everyone for their support on my food blog and hope you're getting some good out of it.  My "Russian" following helped push us over that new threshold.  Please continue to spread the word to family and friends about the "Cabana Boy Cooks" blog.

Lastly, as of December 31st, there are over 165 recipes on the "Recipe Index" page of my blog.  Be sure to use this resource as you look for something different tonight for dinner.  I believe there is a very good variety of recipes for you to choose from on that page.  However, if there is a recipe you are looking for and cannot find.  Please let me know and I will be glad to help find a good and tested recipe.  Just contact me in the blog comment section.  Thanks.

Let's get started with Italian soups.  Italians are great soup eaters and makers.  Soup is a usual first course of a main Italian meal or a main ingredients on a lesser meal.  Italians make all kinds of soups but many revolve around a few main ingredients.  A few of these ingredients include beans, tomatoes and pasta.

When Italians make soup using beans, they will start with dry beans and soak them overnight.  You can use canned beans to cut down the time required to make the particular soup.  It's not a sin but remember to rinse and drain the beans on most soups before adding them to the pot.  Their soups with a little (or a lot) of one of their great Italian bread and you have a meal that will put a smile on your face.  And a warm feeling in your tummy too.

The key to great Italian soups is to use the freshest ingredients you can find.  Remember to adjust to the seasonal changes and be creative.  Many times a little drizzle of a good olive oil on top of the soup as it is served adds to the taste and enjoyment.

This week I'm featuring two soups.  The first is a "White Bean Soup" using the "Cannellini" bean.  Our second soup is "Wild Mushroom Soup" and uses the "Porcini" mushroom for it's base.  Enjoy trying both soups during this cold winter.  Soup really warms the heart at this time of year.

Have a great week and "Happy Cooking"!