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Minestrone

This is one version of minestrone. There are about as many as there are combinations of vegetables. Sometimes they contain pasta, sometimes rice and sometimes the mixture is thick with lentils. There are just two serious rules: use a lot of vegetables and don't forget the cheese rind.

 

Serves : 6 – 8

 

Ingredients:

 

¼ cup / 50g / 2oz Butter

¼ cup / 4 tbsp Olive Oil

3 Large Onions

2 Cloves Garlic

225g / 8oz Carrots

2 Sticks Celery

225g / 8oz Potatoes

225g / 8oz / Cooked White Kidney Beans

100g / 4oz French Beans

100g / 4oz Courgettes (Zucchini)

3 Beef Stock (Bouillon) Cubes or 6¼ cups / 1.4 litres / 2½ pints Pastine in Brodo

½ cup / 100g / 4oz Chopped Fresh or Tinned Italian Tomatoes

⅔ cup / 100g / 4oz Piece of Parmesan Cheese Rind

Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

 

Instructions:

 

  1. Melt the butter together with the oil over a medium heat.

 

  1. Finely chop the onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots and celery and add them, one vegetable at a time, to the oil and butter in a large pot. Cook each for 2 – 3 minutes, without browning.

 

  1. Stir in the white and French beans.

 

  1. Chop the courgettes (zucchini) into larger pieces and add them to the mixture.

 

  1. Crumble in the stock (bouillon) cubes and stir in 6¼ cups / 1.4 litres / 2½ pints water.

 

  1. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and add the whole cheese rind.

 

  1. Cook the whole mixture together until you have a substantially thick soup - a consistency you must decide for yourself. Once your desire is satisfied in this matter, add water to maintain the consistency, if necessary, until the soup is thoroughly cooked - about 20 minutes.

 

  1. Season before serving and remember to remove the piece of cheese rind.

 

Notes:

 

Soup is often a substantial dish in Italy and the garnishes are correspondingly hearty.

 

Choose from pasta shapes, bread croûtons - fried or baked in the oven, and sometimes stuffed as well - or dumplings made of potato or semolina and mixed with spinach, chicken, ham or fish and béchamel sauce (see recipes for each).

 

Tips for measuring, temperatures, or conversion from imperial to metric

More Italian Sauces, Soups & Broths

More Soup Recipes

More Vegetable Recipes

More Recipes for 5 or More People

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