Spezzati Soup with Green Curry Paste and Crispy Sage
Zaira Zarotti
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Instagram: @thefreakytable | zairazarotti.com
Birch Lymph
My favorite ingredient for cleansing is birch lymph, a remedy going back centuries for its draining and detox properties. It is pretty common among Northern European countries where birch trees abound. The lymph is extracted directly from the bark of the tree. I buy my own lymph from a herbalist shop and I drink it diluted in water during the changing of seasons. The draining effects make it really great for anyone who wants to aid their kidneys and fight stagnations of liquids and adiposity. It also helps to cleanse body tissues, it is rich in vitamin C and mineral salts, and it’s very good for integrating trace elements in the body, such as manganese, iron, zinc and copper.
THRIVE Lightning Round
1. Best advice your mom told you?
To be true to myself even when it is inconvenient to do so.
2. What hashtags do you use to find inspiration + food?
3. Ingredients you can’t live without?
Extra virgin olive oil and fresh vegetables.
4. What’s the fastest way to shift your mood?
Go for a walk listening to music.
5. One of your favorite quotes:
“Art is the most beautiful of all lies.”—Claude Debussy
6. Something we wouldn’t know about you?
I am a very anxious person, but I hide it well.
INGREDIENTS
280 g split peas
1 potato
1 carrot
1 small white onion
1 celery stalk
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 bunch fresh sage
2 bay leaves
1 tsp green curry paste (Thai)
1 liter + 200 ml water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp salt
METHOD
Rinse and drain the split peas—no need to soak them before—then put them aside. Peel the potato, the carrot and the onion. Wash them well, along with the other vegetables. Cut everything into thin slices and put them in a tall pot with the lid on. Add the split peas and the bay leaves, then cover with 1 liter and 200 ml cold water. Bring to a boil and cook at medium heat, with the lid on, for 45 minutes, until the peas start mashing. Add salt. Remove from the heat and pour in a vegetable mill with small holes to obtain a dense cream. Dilute the green curry paste with 1 teaspoon warm water and add it to the soup. Put it back on the stove and cook for 10 minutes more at low heat, without the lid on. Wash the sage and dry it very well. Cut the leaves into small squares with scissors. Heat the oil in a small nonstick pan and add the small squares of sage. Brown them for a few minutes until they become crispy. Take them out of the oil and lay them on a plate covered with some paper towels to let them dry. Garnish the split pea soup with crispy sage and serve hot.