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Serving: 6 persons
2 hours The favorite way of creating minestrone is to make it about three days in advance. This allows the broth to soak up the natural flavor of the vegetables. After letting the soup sit for a few days, reheat it on the stove adding slices of stale bread. The bread should be first toasted, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil from the winter oil pressing (typical Tuscan way). Minestrone is essentially water and vegetables. An alternative approach is to cook short kinds of pasta inside the minestrone. Water is used in making this hearty soup, so if you want follow this second method just make the original batch of minestrone more watery. • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 1/3 (90 ml) • Onion: 1 large • Potatoes: 2 large • Savoy Cabbage (Cavolo Verza): 1 small • Zucchini Squash: 2 medium • Celery: 2 Ribs with Leaves • String Beans: 6oz (175 gr.) • Winter Squash (such butternut, acorn or Hubbard): 1lb. (500 gr.) • Fresh or Canned Tomatoes: 2 cups (500 gr.) • Cauliflower • Canned Beans: 1 lb. (500 gr) • Bay Leaves: 2 • Rosemary, oregano and thyme: 1 tbsp each dried • Salt and Black Pepper If you want make Tuscan version you need also: • 12 slices stale robust Italian or peasant bread • 4 large garlic cloves Otherwise • Short Pasta for Soup or Minestre: 1lb. (500 gr.) Preparation of the vegetables: thinly slice the large onion, peel and dice the potatoes, shred the cabbage, dice the zucchini squash, chop celery, trim and cut in pieces the string beans, peel and dice the squash, break up and slice the cauliflower, rinse and dry the canned beans. Warm the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and potatoes. Saute' over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft and the potato leaves a starchy film on the pan (about 6-8 minutes). Add all the vegetables, the beans, herbs, a gallon of water and seasoning. Simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, until the cabbage is tender and all the other vegetables cook through, about 1 1/2 hours. Check the seasoning. With bread: toast the bread and rub it with garlic on both sides. Drizzle each slice with olive oil and place two slices in each soup plate. Put the warm soup over the bread and serve. With pasta: When the minestrone is done, cover it and put it on medium - high heat. When it boils add the pasta. Taste the pasta and when it is still al dente turn off the heat. Leave sitting for 10 minutes before serving. |
1. Tagliatelle con I Piselli:Egg Noodles with Peas 2. Tagliatelle con gli Asparagi: Egg Noodles with Asparagus 3. Pasta con il Cavolfiore: Pasta with Cauliflower 
1. Minestrone Invernale:Winter Soup of Vegetables 2. Acquacotta: Tuscan "Cooked Water" Soup 
1. Riso con la Zucca:Rice with Butternut Squash 2. Riso agli Spinaci: Rice with Spinach 3. Risotto alla Toscana: Tuscan Risotto |
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