My minestrone soup that I served at breakfast last week for my walking buddies was a hit! They even brought home soma and now Juliet is asking for the recipe.
Minestrone is the national soup of Italy. It means thick soup made of seasonal vegetables. With bread, it is can be a meal.
So here is my version.
INGREDIENTS
A-The meats:
5 strips of bacon sliced 1 inch long
1/2 kilo beef cut in strips
1 kilo beef soup bone (optional)
B-The condiments
3 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps white wine or any cooking wine
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 big onions chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 1/2 tbsps salt
1-2 tbsps ground pepper
1 tbsp Italian dressing or mixed herbs or thyme and oregano
3 tbsps (140gms) tomato paste
1 can (400gms net weight) whole or diced tomatoes
C-The veggies
1 cup celery stalk sliced
1 can kidney white beans
2 medium carrots, diced
4 medium potatoes diced
1 can mushrooms pieces and stems
Other veggies in season or your choice cut in pieces like
cauliflower
broccoli
zucchini
French beans.
D-The liquid
6 cups water or the soup from the beef bones. More if necessary
EThe pasta
250 gms penne
Procedure
1- Wash beef soup bone with baking soda, then wash thoroughly with water. Drain. Put a tbsp of cooking oil in a pot and sear the beef bone
Add water to cover bones and remove what comes on top.
Lower heat and boil until the meat attached is tender that they separate easily from bone. Add more water if needed for more broth. Set aside.
2-In a separate skillet sauté beef strips in oil and garlic until it changes color.
Add 1 tbsp each of cooking wine and soy sauce.
Put water to cover beef and continue to cook until strips are tender. Set aside.
3- In a big pot enough to hold all ingredients, put 2 tbsps oil and add the sliced bacon strips. Cook until they are crispy.
Add garlic, onions and cook until translucent
Add carrots and celery, stir one minute
Add potatoes and stir well
Then add other veggies, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and mushrooms of your choice or omit if you like.
Add the can of tomatoes and tomato paste,
Put salt, pepper and dried mixed herbs or thyme and oregano or italian seasoning, whatever dried herbs available.
Add 6 cups water or the soup from the beef bones
Add the grated Parmesan
Add beef strips and meat from the beef bones.
4- In a separate pot boil water and cook the penne until aldente. Turn heat, keep penne in the pot of water
5- just before serving, add the pasta. By then, pasta absorbed the remaining water. This is important so pasta wont absorb you seasoned soup.
6- Adjust the taste now, if too sour, add a tsp of sugar, if not thick enough, add more tomato paste, if blunt, add more salt or parmesan.
7- this dish id done. This is goid for 15 people. You can freeze half for future but do not add the pasta. Served it with toasted baguette
