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minestrone
Molisani-style Minestrone (with cauliflower, potatoes, celery, peas, tomatoes, beans and tubetti)
Originated from: Casacalenda, Molise, Casacalenda
Occasion: Any time
Contributed by: Mary Melfi (Zia Rosina's recipe)

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Ingredients

For the base:
3 tablespoons or so of olive oil
about 2 onions, chopped
about 3 quarts of water (24 cups)*
1 spring cabbage, shredded
1 head of cauliflower, broken up into small florets
about 2 potatoes, diced
2 or 3 sticks of celery, chopped
1 cup (or more) freshly-shelled peas (or a can of peas)
2 or 3 fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped (optional)
1 cup of dried beans (soaked overnight) or a 19 oz. can of beans, such as cannelloni (optional)
1 cup "white-colored" beets (optional)
1/2 cup tubetti (optional

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste
2 or 3 bay leafs (optional -- removed prior to serving)
Handful of celery leaves (removed prior to serving)
1 tablespoon or more of fresh parsley, finely chopped
or 1 tablespoon or more of fresh mint, finely chopped
or 1 tablespoon or more of fresh oregano
or 1 tablespoon or more of fresh basil
or 1 teaspoon or more of dried oregano
or 1 teaspoon or more of dried basil

about 1 cup freshly grated cheese for serving (optional)**

* Nowadays many North Americans of Italian descent add 2 or 3 cubes of chicken stock to the water for extra flavoring, but in pre World War II Italy chicken cubes were Not used. In fact, the contributor's aunt (Zia Rosina) who gave her this recipe prefers to use water as a base, rather than chicken stock.

** Prior to World War II those living in Molise generally made use of home-made country cheese in all their cookery. Most experts (including Martha Steward) agree that the country cheeses made in Italy at the turn of the last century are more similar to Pecorino than to Parmesan. Nonetheless, most North Americans of Italian descent (including this contributor's aunt, Zia Rosina) prefer to use Parmesan cheese rather than Pecorino in their home-cooking.



Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot.

2. Add onions and saute till they are soft (about 4 minutes).

3. Add celery and "white-colored" beets" (if using) and saute for another 5 minutes or so.

4. Add tomatoes (if using) and saute for a few minutes. Add bay leaves (if using).

5. Pour in the water (or chicken stock) and bring to the boil.

6. Season to taste.

6. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or so.

7. Add shredded cabbage, and beans (if using).

8. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

9. Add cauliflower florets, diced potatoes, and peas and simmer for another 8 minutes or so.

11. Add the tubetti (if using) and cook until tender (about 7 minutes).

13. Place the soup in individual bowls and decorate with extra parsley or fresh mint etc.

14. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top of the soup (optional).

15. Serve with Italian country bread.








Notes

Minestrone is generally viewed as a soup, though it comes closer to a vegetable stew. Some food historians believe the recipe for minestrone pre-dates the ancient Romans, while others believe the recipe only became known (or "formalized") in Italy around the 17th century. All food historians agree that there is no set recipe for the dish -- it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. My aunt, Zia Rosina, also noted that when she was growing up in the 1930s in Casacalenda, Molise, minestrone was generally made with anything that one had at hand -- if one had beans which had been left over from some other dish, one used them. If one had fresh peas, one used them, and if one didn't, well, then one made do without them. Apparently, in the 1930s carrots were not grown in and around Casacalenda, so carrots were obviously not used, but beets, the white-colored variety which were locally grown, were often added to the soup. For obvious reasons minestrone was more popular around harvest time than in the middle of winter, though my aunt did say that many of the vegetables that were grown did keep for a long time. Potatoes for instance, which don't last longer than two weeks in our North American homes, kept fresh for months. Farmers figured out where best to store them (My aunt's father kept his on the roof) and regularly removed the eyes of the potatoes so as to prolong their shelf life. Farmers, out of necessity, were very resourceful. Of course, the more land a farmer owned, the easier it was to maintain a well-stocked kitchen. Nonetheless, most farmers had enough to eat in the winter. At least, this seems to have been the case in Molise. Few first-generation immigrants from Molise that I have come across complain of not having had enough to eat (prior to World War II), they do complain of having little variety in their diet -- but that's not the same thing. So in better-to-do households cooks added whatever was available at the market when they made their minestrone (Might have even added fresh pork belly -- "vendresca"!) and in poorer ones, they added as little as possible. Most cooks used herbs to flavor the dish, but no one added chicken stock. Prior to World War II chicken cubes were not available in the countryside, and certainly no one in their right mind (Not even the very rich!) would slaughter a chicken to make chicken broth for a simple everyday meal. And yes, in the 1930s, minestrone, was a meal in itself (and not just a first or second course). One more thing -- when a cook added tomatoes to the base, the dish was known as "red" minestrone and when no tomatoes were used it was known as "white" minestrone. Photo: by the contributor.

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