Celebrity chef Giorgio Locatelli, in his culinary bestseller Made in Italy, describes minestrone as "the best soup in the world." He calls it a dish that unites the nation, despite the fact that everyone cooks their own way. The classic Italian cookbook Silver Spoon lists about 10 minestrone recipes. The versatility of this soup is that it generously accepts any vegetables in its thick embrace, as long as they are seasonal.
It is necessary
-
- Basic minestrone
- 100 g garden herbs (dandelion leaves
- arugula and radicchio salads, etc.)
- 100 g spinach;
- 100 g of chard;
- 1/2 head of white cabbage;
- 2 large potatoes;
- 100 g cranberry beans;
- 200 g fresh peas;
- 3 cherry tomatoes;
- 2 zucchini;
- 1 small onion head;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 1 stalk of celery
- a small bunch of parsley;
- 200 g vermicelli;
- 3 tablespoons olive oil:
- 2 liters of vegetable or chicken broth;
- grated parmesan.
- Pesto sauce
- 6 cups of basil leaves
- 1 glass of pine nuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons of sweet butter
- 2 cloves of garlic.
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the broth. Minestrone, translated from Italian, means big soup. This name is well-deserved, because the dish is always prepared from a large number of ingredients, but since they are all simple (there are no complex spices or rich meat component), the taste of the dish largely depends on the basis in which you will lay vegetables and pasta. Vegetarians prefer to use vegetable broth or water, chicken broth gives the soup a spicy note. A favorite of the public, Jamie Oliver, cooks "big soup" with aromatic broth of ham and smoked brisket, but this approach is denied by many chefs, as they believe that minestrone is a peasant soup and such a luxurious broth is contrary to its spirit.
Step 2
While the broth is heating, wash the vegetables thoroughly, especially the spinach and garden herbs, taking care to remove all traces of dirt and sand. Dry. Coarsely chop the spinach and Swiss chard (a type of beet). Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters. Chop the cabbage into long, thin strips. Scald the tomatoes, peel and cut into cubes. Peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler and cut them into cubes as well. Chop onion, celery, parsley and garlic and sauté them together in olive oil. Cook until the onion is golden brown.
Step 3
Place fried onions, garlic, parsley, celery and all other chopped vegetables in boiling broth or water. Add the peas and beans (cranberry or cranberry beans are small white beans with red stripes, they cook quickly and don't need to be soaked first). Cook the soup for about an hour and a half.
Step 4
Remove the potatoes from the soup with a slotted spoon, mash with a fork or crush and return. Fill in the pasta. Cook the soup for a few more minutes until the pasta is al dente (soft but firm), remove from heat.
Step 5
You have brewed a basic minestrone. To make it Ligurian minestrone, make pesto. Chop the basil, mash it along with the cedar seeds, garlic, butter and parmesan in a blender. Put two to three tablespoons of pesto in the prepared soup, let it rest for 3-4 minutes, and pour into bowls. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
