Courtesy of the lovely Michelle, who kicked off our fall-time concept: soup club instead of salad club. On gray days like today, there's nothing like a heaping hot bowlful of Michelle's minestrone! Here's the how-to: * 1 big can of white Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 pound pancetta (but in this case, I used a tofu-sausage substitute to make it veggie-friendly!)
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 1 rib of celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
* 2 zucchini, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound boiling potatoes (and I like to add a bit of sweet potato too!)
* 4 cups shredded green cabbage (preferably Savoy)
* 1/2 pound kale, rinsed, drained, stems discarded, and the leaves chopped (about 6 cups)
* a 28-ounce can tomatoes, chopped coarse and drained well (I don’t drain all the juice because I find the soup is too thick if you drain the tomatoes entirely...could just be me though!)
* 4 1/2 cups chicken broth (preferably low-salt) (I simply bought some organic veggie broth premade)
* I also add a few herbs to this puppy... say, some thyme and a hint of sage... a bay leaf or two never did any major damage either.
* freshly grated Parmesan
And the fun begins...
Cover white kidney beans in a bit of salted water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the beans stand, uncovered.
In a heavy soup pot, cook the pancetta (or veggie protein!) in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp and pale golden, add the onion, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the carrots, the celery, and the garlic and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, the green beans, and the potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and the kale and cook the mixture, stirring, until the cabbage is wilted. Add the tomatoes and the broth and simmer the soup, covered, for 1 hour. (I also added a few herbs into the mix to give it a bit more kick!)...this is when you kick back with a glass of red and enjoy the lovely smells filling up your kitchen.
Drain the white beans, reserving the liquid, in a blender or food processor purée half of them with 1 cup of the reserved liquid, and stir the purée and the remaining white beans into the soup. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 15 minutes, thin it if desired with some of the remaining reserve liquid, and season it with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, you can always thin it out with some boiling water or more bouillon. Serve the soup with the Parmesan. Enjoy!
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 pound pancetta (but in this case, I used a tofu-sausage substitute to make it veggie-friendly!)
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 1 rib of celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
* 2 zucchini, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound boiling potatoes (and I like to add a bit of sweet potato too!)
* 4 cups shredded green cabbage (preferably Savoy)
* 1/2 pound kale, rinsed, drained, stems discarded, and the leaves chopped (about 6 cups)
* a 28-ounce can tomatoes, chopped coarse and drained well (I don’t drain all the juice because I find the soup is too thick if you drain the tomatoes entirely...could just be me though!)
* 4 1/2 cups chicken broth (preferably low-salt) (I simply bought some organic veggie broth premade)
* I also add a few herbs to this puppy... say, some thyme and a hint of sage... a bay leaf or two never did any major damage either.
* freshly grated Parmesan
And the fun begins...
Cover white kidney beans in a bit of salted water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the beans stand, uncovered.
In a heavy soup pot, cook the pancetta (or veggie protein!) in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp and pale golden, add the onion, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the carrots, the celery, and the garlic and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, the green beans, and the potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and the kale and cook the mixture, stirring, until the cabbage is wilted. Add the tomatoes and the broth and simmer the soup, covered, for 1 hour. (I also added a few herbs into the mix to give it a bit more kick!)...this is when you kick back with a glass of red and enjoy the lovely smells filling up your kitchen.
Drain the white beans, reserving the liquid, in a blender or food processor purée half of them with 1 cup of the reserved liquid, and stir the purée and the remaining white beans into the soup. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 15 minutes, thin it if desired with some of the remaining reserve liquid, and season it with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, you can always thin it out with some boiling water or more bouillon. Serve the soup with the Parmesan. Enjoy!
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