Licurdia (Calabrian Onion Soup)

Licurdia is a rustic Italian onion soup from Calabria with slow-cooked onions and potatoes, and spicy Calabrian chili peppers. Topped with crusty bread and melted cheese, it is a comforting, cozy soup my wife and I enjoy making on cold and rainy days!

Dishes like Licurdia are an example of cucina povera, a humble or resourceful style of Italian cooking that focuses on simple and accessible ingredients. It's recipes like this or Pasta and Potatoes (Pasta e Patate) that our family loves to recreate on weekends because they instantly make you feel at home.

Why This Recipe

Licurdia is the perfect recipe to make as a rustic lunch or side dish. Its spicy broth, toasty bread, and bubbling melted cheese make it an ideal Sunday lunch during the fall.

I love to make this when we're having a movie day or football Sunday, and we're just relaxing on the couch! It's perfect to serve with easy snacks like Italian Sausage Bread or Bourbon Candied Pecans.

These types of dishes were common in Calabria because they used simple and accessible ingredients. These inexpensive, filling dishes helped families turn simple ingredients into a satisfying meal.

How Licurdia Differs from Carabaccia and French Onion Soup

Licurdia, carabaccia, and French onion soup are all regional soups that are built around slowly cooked onions in a broth topped with bread and melted cheese. While extremely similar, each dish has its own unique defining aspects.

• French Onion Soup is the most well-known of the three, and it is made with sautéed yellow onions simmered in a beef broth with wine and herbs, then topped with a slice of baguette and Gruyère cheese. Its rich and deep flavor differentiates it from the other two soups.
• Licurdia (Calabrian Onion Soup) is traditionally made with Tropea onions and potatoes simmered in a vegetable stock with spicy Calabrian chili peppers, giving it its signature spicy flavor that sets it apart from the other two. It is then topped with stale bread and a regional cheese like caciocavallo or scamorza.
• Carabaccia (Tuscan Onion Soup) is a rustic Tuscan dish made with thinly sliced red onions simmered in a stock with a splash of vinegar, cinnamon, and almonds, then topped with bread and Parmigiano. Its warming spices and vinegar give the dish a sweet and savory flavor, setting it apart from the other two onion soups.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Sweet Onions: Typically, Tropea onions are used in Licurdia, or Calabrian onion soup. Tropea onions are a PGI-protected vegetable in Italy, so they aren't easy to find here in the US, but they are a sweet onion. I substituted a sweet onion to balance out the savory and spicy flavors from the other ingredients in this dish.
• Gold Potatoes: Grated gold potatoes are perfect for this soup because they are moderately starchy, giving the soup a creamy texture and becoming golden brown while sautéing with the onions.
• Lard: Depending on what a family raised or produced, traditional Italian cooks might use either animal fat or olive oil. I use pork lard because it gives the soup a rich, savory flavor, but 2 tablespoons of olive oil can easily be substituted.
• Bread: A stale Italian bread or baguette can be completely revived with this soup. Stale bread isn't necessary, but you also don't need to buy fresh bread since you will be putting it directly in the soup. You can also substitute Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons!
• Calabrian Chili Peppers: Calabrian dishes usually have a bit of spice to them and this dish is no different. You can adjust the level of spice by varying how much Calabrian chili pepper you add to the soup, similar to our Spicy Vodka Sauce.
• Fennel Seed: I love adding fennel seed to this dish because it gives the soup a savory, sausage-like flavor that adds depth. It's what gives our Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning its defining flavor.
• Cheese: The typical cheese used in Licurdia is caciocavallo or scamorza. Again, these aren't exactly easy to find, so good substitutes are aged Asiago or provolone. I used Asiago because I love the sharp pungent flavor and it melts perfectly over the toasted bread.

*Please see the recipe card below for more information about the ingredients.

How to Make Licurdia (Italian Onion Soup)

Step 1: Prepare your onions by thinly slicing them into ¼-inch slices. This allows them to soften quickly but not completely become mush in the soup. Wash, peel, and grate your potatoes. Then use a cheesecloth to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Removing the liquid helps the onions and potatoes caramelize rather than steam.

Step 2: In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoon of lard or olive oil over medium-low heat.

Step 3: Once melted, stir in the onions and ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté on medium-low heat, covered, to sweat and soften the onions for 15 minutes. The onions should be soft and have noticeably less volume, but they should not be brown. 

Step 4: Raise the heat to medium and season with ½ teaspoon salt, fennel seed, and Calabrian chili peppers until the fennel is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then stir in the potatoes.

Step 5: Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until there is no remaining dry flour. Then sauté the onions and potatoes for 15-20 minutes, until the onions begin to caramelize. Occasionally scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. 

Step 6: Pour in the chicken stock and raise the heat to medium-high. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any brown bits. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 7: Turn the oven broiler on. Ladle the desired serving into oven-safe bowls. Place the bowls on a sheet pan. Float a slice of Italian bread or baguette on the soup. Top the bread with the Asiago cheese and place in the oven 6 inches below the broiler for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and turning golden brown. Carefully remove from the oven and allow the bowls to cool before serving. 

Serve licurdia straight from the broiler while the cheese is still bubbling and the bread has softened into the broth. With potatoes, bread, and melted cheese, this Italian onion soup is hearty enough to serve on its own for lunch or a casual dinner.

I usually serve it on its own as a snack, but a simple salad like a Kale and Cannellini Bean Salad or just a simple Romaine salad with Traditional Caesar Dressing would be great to make it a little more substantial.

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