Hearty Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
15g dried porcini mushrooms
½ cup pink or white coco beans (or any other small white bean, soaked 2-3 hours)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large potatoes, chopped into small pieces
2 large courgettes, thinly sliced
2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
2 cup silverbeet, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
300g pumpkin, peeled and chopped
2 litres water
1 cup dried pasta (cavatelli, which translates as ‘little plugs’, or a similar pasta)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Parmesan cheese, to serve
Description
This filling soup is made with lots of fresh vegetables and filling potatoes, pasta and beans, and finished with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and basil, or even a dollop of pesto. In Genoa, where the inspiration for the soup has come from, no meat or chicken stock would be used, so this is a very pure vegetarian soup, cooked slowly until thick and nourishing. Serve with crusty wholemeal bread, good olive oil and a bottle of hearty red wine for satisfying meal.
Method
Soak the porcini in hot water for an hour. Simmer the coco beans in water for about an hour until soft.
Briefly fry the onion in a large, deep saucepan with the olive oil, then add the potato and porcini and continue to fry gently for a few minutes. Add the other vegetables with the water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for an hour. (If making ahead, prepare the coup to this point but do not add the pasta which becomes too soft and almost slimy if left to stand in the soup.)
Add the drained beans and the pasta and cook for 10minutes longer or until pasta is almost cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook a few minutes more. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for five minutes. Ladle into serving bowls.
Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in each bowl and pass around freshly grated Parmesan cheese separately.
Categories
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