Today I had Alessi Tuscan white bean soup for lunch, and I can recommend it. If memory serves me, I paid $3.49 for the paper pouch at the Boston area Stop and Shop, and two- three medium-sized portions resulted. I would however increase stated cooking time to fifteen minutes from twelve. Do add the extra-virgin olive oil and freshly grated cheese, as they suggest. I also sprinkled with freshly-ground black pepper. As with other Alessi products (for example, their pesto), there is a favorable price-quality ratio, and their foods are more authentic than many Italian-American brands on the market.You can check out their entire line at the Vigo-Alessi site. Also of note is the interesting story of how founder Antonino Alessi came to Tampa long ago from Sicily to establish the family business. My paternal grandfather also emigrated to Tampa- but not my Italian nonno, who stayed in Italy (my mother eventually came here as a war bride). My father's father went to Tampa's Ybor City from Cuba where he worked as a cigar maker. The Italian genes prevailed- the Eggplant loves food and wine, but has never smoked.
