With the arrival of cold and frost, soups and preparations based on legumes fly onto Italian tables. Peas, beans, chickpeas and lentils – according to a survey by Coldiretti – are present on the plate of more than one in two Italians (53%) at least a few times a week. On the nutritional front, legumes are an excellent source of protein and dietary fiber, useful for regulating intestinal functions and for controlling blood glucose and cholesterol levels. They contain mineral salts, such as iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, group B vitamins and, when fresh, also vitamin C. The American Diabetes Association has shown that a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes , nuts and seeds, decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes, but also of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Not only that, regular consumption of legumes can significantly reduce total and LDL cholesterol levels. Being rich in potassium, magnesium and fiber, legumes also have a positive impact on blood pressure management, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The most widespread legumes in Italy are beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas and broad beans as well as grass peas, lupins and soybeans, but the Belpaese can also count on many typical quality products recognized by the European Union such as beans from Rotonda, Atina, Sarconi, Sorana, Cuneo, the Belluno valley as well as lentils from Castelluccio and those from Altamura. Unfortunately, even if national crops are spread over more than 150 hectares, the import of low-cost and low-quality legumes, favored in some cases by trade agreements, is increasing to the detriment of our production. In 2022, imports of legumes into Italy came close to 490 million kilos. The result is – according to Coldiretti – that three out of four dishes of beans, lentils and chickpeas eaten in Italy today are actually foreign, coming above all from countries such as the United States and Canada where they are dried with the pre-harvest use of glyphosate in ways that are prohibited on the national territory, while in Mexico they are often cultivated with the exploitation of child labour. The advice for consumers therefore becomes that of always checking the labels before buying in order to make sure that you are bringing genuine and nutritious made in Italy to your table.
The recipe we are proposing to Mondo Food readers for this week is a tribute to the great Gualtiero Marchesi, the noble father of Italian haute cuisine. It is an easy to prepare and very light soup in which legumes and cereals with all their nutritional properties meet prawns with their supply of good quality proteins, important nutrients for the proper functioning of the intestinal activity (in particular vitamins of group B and zinc), for the health of bones and teeth (calcium and phosphorus), for the transport of oxygen (iron) and for the antioxidant defenses (selenium). The Humanitas care website dedicated to healthy eating also states that, being low in saturated fats and sources of omega 3 and potassium, prawns have characteristics that make them desirable for protecting the health of the heart and arteries. At the same time with the warning that prawns are also sources of non-negligible quantities of cholesterol, so they must be taken sparingly by those suffering from atherosclerosis. In short, a meeting between land and sea of great lightness and great class.
The recipe for legume and cereal soup with prawns
Ingredients for people 4
Shrimp
150 g of dried cannellini beans
120 g of dried chickpeas
40 g of wheat grains
1,5 liters of broth
an onion
two cloves of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
fresh marjoram
Black pepper
Sale
Method
Boil the chickpeas, cannellini beans and wheat the day before.
Cook the chickpeas and fumento on one side and the cannellini beans on the other in two pans. Add a whole onion and two cloves of garlic to the pan of beans.
Leave to simmer for a couple of hours.
When cooked, remove the onion and the garlic cloves and add the contents of the two pans, let the flavors blend well, add salt and distribute two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the peeled and halved prawns and a pinch of pepper. Turn the heat back on and cook for five minutes in the covered pan.
Remove the prawns and place them on the surface of the soup poured into serving dishes. Drizzle a little more oil and serve.
