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MInestrone (vegetable soup) is not really a recipe: it is an intuition following the seasonal produces...or simply what's in the fridge...In winter it is based on beans, several kinds of greens, cabbages and pumpkin and it's hot and spicy, in the summer it's lighter, served cold and often guarnished with pesto.
In all season you'll start with the soffritto: onions, cellery and carrots, garlic and fresh herbs sautè in extra virgin olive oil. If you like you can add some diced pancetta (bacon). Avoid chicken stock or other broths vegetables alrady have a delicious taste and salt, water, olive oil and herbs are enough.
It is for sure that when you make minestrone you are going to dice, slice and cut veggies for a while.
That's why the best way is to make it and then freeze it.
Once defrost you might add pasta (ditalini are best, but also crushed spaghetti), farro (spelt), crostini (crunchy dices of bread sautè in extra virgin oilve oil and salt).
Today I am making Minestrone with farro, there'll be 15 portion total.
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Ingredients:
1 clove of garlic
hot chily pepper
6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 brunch of rosemary
4 bayleaves
1 tsp of oregano
4 medium carrots
4 stalks of cellery
1 red onion
2 small leeks
5 medium potatoes
1/4 of Savoy cabbage
1 brunch of beet greens
2 - 3 zucchini
1 fennel
1/2 small cauliflower
3 cups of diced pumpkin
Water to cover
3 tsp of corse seasalt |
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| First step: put on a pot 6Tbs of
extra virgin olive oil, press a clove
of garlic, add the chily, the fine
chopped rosemary, the bayleaves
and the oregano.
Put on the stove for a minute. |
Second step: dice carrots, cellery,
onions and add to the pot.
Sautè everything until the onions
are translucent. |
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| Third step: dice the leeks, potatoes
savoy cabbage, beet greens, and
only if it is available at home also a
little brunch of black cabbage.
Sautè a few minutes and add hot
water 4 fingers over the level of the
vegetables. Cover and let simmer
for 15 min. |
Fourth step: dice zucchine, fennel,
cauliflower and pumpkin (smal dices
as before) and add to the pot.
Cook for further 30 min. Better if it
rests for a few hours. Warm up before
serving with fresh grated parmesan
cheese and a drop of freah extra
virgin olive oil. |
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WHAT ELSE: you may add to the minestrone, peas, any kind of beans (already coocked apart and without their boiling water). In case you like to add pasta, I suggest you to cook the pasta apart and then add it only to the portion of minestrone that you are going to use: minestrone is even better the day after...but pasta will get mushy...bleah!... It is tradition in Italy to add some left over crosts of parmesan cheese (well scratched before).If you like to try, add them together with the third set of ingredients. In summer we eat the minestrone room temperature (but it can be warm as well) and we add on each dish a tablespoon of pesto. In the summer minestrone rosemary and oregano can be substituted by freah parsley and lot of fresh basil.
In spring the minestrone is made with spring onions, spinach, asparagus, potatoes, peas.
BUON APPETITO! |
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