Introduction
Minestrone is a thick Italian vegetable soup with beans and a little pasta or rice. It is a meal in a bowl and a good way to use whatever vegetables are in season: there is no single correct recipe, and every Italian region, town and family makes it differently.
The name means “big soup” (from minestra, soup). It belongs to the cucina povera, the cooking of poor households, where vegetable soups were everyday food for centuries; tomatoes only joined after they arrived from the Americas. In Liguria, a spoon of pesto goes in at the end. Leave out the Parmesan and its rind, or use a vegetarian hard cheese, for a strictly vegetarian or vegan soup: Parmigiano Reggiano is made with animal rennet.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery sticks, all finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 2 courgettes, cut into small cubes
- ¼ small cabbage or a handful of kale, shredded
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
- 1.5 litres water or vegetable stock
- 1 piece of Parmesan rind (optional)
- 1 can of cannellini or borlotti beans (400 g), drained
- 100 g small pasta, such as ditalini
- salt and black pepper
- to serve: grated Parmesan, basil, olive oil
Tools
- A large pot
- A wooden spoon
Preparation
- Heat the oil in the pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, until soft. This base is called a soffritto.
- Add the garlic and potatoes and stir for 2 minutes. Add the courgettes and cabbage and stir for 2 minutes more.
- Add the tomatoes, the water or stock and the Parmesan rind. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the beans and pasta and cook for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add water if the soup gets too thick.
- Remove the rind, season with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan, basil and a thread of olive oil.