Ingredients
For the base:
3 tablespoons or so of vegetable oil
about 2 onions, chopped
about 3 quarts of chicken stock (24 cups)
1 spring cabbage, shredded
1 head of cauliflower, broken up into small florets (optional)
about 2 potatoes, diced
2 or 3 sticks of celery, chopped
1 cup (or more) sliced carrots
3 or 4 fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup fava beans (optional)
1 cup dried cannelloni beans, soaked overnight (optional)
1 cup vermicelli, broken into short lengths or 1/2 cup rice
Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of celery leaves (removed prior to serving)
2 tablespoons or more of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot.
2. Add onions and saute till they are soft (about 4 minutes).
3. Add celery and saute for another 5 minutes or so.
4. Add tomatoes and saute for a few minutes.
5. Pour in chicken stock and bring to the boil.
6. Season to taste.
7. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
8. Add shredded cabbage, fresh green beans and white cannelloni beans (soaked overnight or canned). If using rice, add it to the soup now (If using vermicelli, add it later).
9. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
10. Add cauliflower florets (if using), diced potatoes, and simmer for another 8 minutes or so.
11. Add the vermicelli, broken into short lengths (if using) and cook until tender (about 7 minutes).
12. Place the soup in individual bowls and decorate with extra parsley.
13. Serve with Italian country bread.
Notes
As everyone knows minestrone is generally classified as a soup, though it comes closer to being a vegetable stew (For notes on the history of this dish see Minestrone Version I).... According to my mother she never ate minestrone in Italy. She claims her parents were so poor they never had enough of the needed vegetables to make the thick soup. Apparently, the minestrone she now makes was learned from a neighbor who was born in Northern Italy. So this version might be Northern in origin. As far as I can remember my mother always used chicken broth as a base for the soup. However, she does vary the recipe -- depending not so much as what vegetables are in season, but what mood she is in.... Photo: by the contributor. |
