Minestrone soup?!
Minestrone soup?
Any good recipe?
Answers:
its my favourite...We've had this recipe sitting around for years and finally got around to making it this weekend. (Don't know the source.) It was perfect, actually, for the rainy and cold January weather we've been having.
1 - 1 1/2 cups dried Cannellini or Great Northern Beans
2 ounces salt pork or pancetta
10 to 12 cups beef or chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 head savoy or curly cabbage, sliced
1 potato, diced
2 zucchini, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cups chopped Italian styled peeled plum tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish
1 Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain beans, rinse, and place them in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add salt pork or pancetta and 6 cups of broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook gently for about 1 hour.
2 Heat oil in a separate large stockpot. Add chopped vegetables (onion, celery, carrot, garlic, parsley) and sauté gently 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add remaining vegetables and tomatoes. Add remaining 5 cups broth. Simmer for 40 to 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3 Remove salt pork or pancetta from beans. Dice finely. Transfer half of the beans to a food processor or a blender and blend into a paste. Add mashed beans to the vegetables. Add remaining whole beans, broth, and diced pork to vegetables.
4 Simmer 5 minutes longer. Season soup with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 10-12, easily. (This recipe makes a lot of soup!)
Note
Beans will absorb a great deal of liquid while cooking. Add more broth or water to replace lost liquid if needed, or the beans will stick.
or
MINESTRONE SOUP
3 quarts beef stock
2 c. soaked Great Northern white beans
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
3 c. meatless spaghetti sauce
2 carrots, finely diced
4 ribs celery, finely diced
1 med. onion, finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
2 c. finely diced lean beef
1 lg. potato, finely diced
1/4 c. pepe pasta (very sm. grains of pasta)
3 fresh Italian plum tomatoes, finely diced
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 bag fresh spinach, washed, blanched & chopped
Bring stock to boil, add soaked beans; simmer until beans are almost tender. Add basil, garlic and spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and meat. Simmer until vegetables are almost tender, stirring constantly. Add potato and pasta, stirring until both are cooked. Add tomatoes, simmer until cooked and season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, stir in spinach and cook briefly.
Serves 15.