Acquacotta Viterbese
A rustic vegetable, wild herb, and poached egg soup from Tuscia, ladled over thick toasted stale bread and finished with sharp pecorino.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Equipment
- •Large saucepan or terracotta pot
- •Wooden spoon
- •Ladle
- •Toaster or griddle pan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- fat
- 21 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 19 g
- calories
- 490 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- 2
Add the onion, garlic, and chilli, cooking for five minutes until soft and fragrant.
- 3
Add the diced potatoes and cook for three minutes, stirring frequently.
- 4
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, torn mentuccia, and salt, then cook for five minutes.
- 5
Add the water and bring the pot to a gentle boil.
- 6
Stir in the chopped chicory, reduce heat to low, and simmer for twenty-five minutes until potatoes are soft.
- 7
Carefully crack the eggs into the simmering broth and poach gently for four minutes until the whites set.
- 8
Place two slices of toasted stale bread in the bottom of each warm serving bowl.
- 9
Ladle the broth, tender greens, and a poached egg over the bread in each bowl.
- 10
Dust generously with grated pecorino romano and a final drizzle of raw olive oil.
Chef's tips
Mentuccia gives this soup its distinct herbal Tuscia character, but garden mint paired with a pinch of dried marjoram makes a good substitute. Use firm, thick-crusted country bread so it absorbs the broth without disintegrating into mush.
Ingredient substitutions
- mentuccia → fresh spearmint with a pinch of dried marjoram
- cicoria (chicory) → curly endive, dandelion greens, or Swiss chard
- pecorino romano → pecorino toscano or parmesan cheese
Storage
Store the vegetable soup without eggs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat the soup on the hob until gently simmering, then crack in fresh eggs to poach just before serving.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the soup vigorously while poaching the eggs, which breaks the yolks and scatters the whites.
- •Using soft pre-sliced sandwich bread instead of dense, thick-crusted stale sourdough.
Serving suggestions
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