Minestrone [just leave off the sprinkle of parmesan and it's vegan]

[Guest guest]

As I've said often, I usually read cookbooks instead of actually

making the recipes from them, but lately, I've been doing more

recipe-cooking. The other day, I was in the mood for soup, so I

found a minestrone recipe in the California Culinary Academy's

_Seasonal Vegetarian Cooking_ and made it.

 

I try to stick closely to the recipe the first time with very minor

substitutions if any, and follow the directions exactly, even if some

of it is counterintuitive, so I can see if maybe the wrong-sounding

directions are right after all. I should have listened to my gut

this time. I thought " How can they cook the pasta so long and not

have it be mushy? " and it was. Mushy, that is. But the flavor is

really good, and James paid it the highest compliment by getting a

second bowl. Next time, I'll just add the pasta a lot later. (Ten

minutes before serving or so ought to do it.) I think I may also try

making it without the pasta and freezing it, then adding it to cooked

pasta as I serve it.

 

Everything from here on in is quoted from the book, unless it's in

[brackets] -- bracketed stuff is my commentary.

 

Minestrone Di Verdura

 

Minestrone in Italian refers to all hearty soups, so minestrone di

verdura indicates that it is a vegetable soup. Fusilli are long

corkscrew-shaped egg noodles that add texture to the soup. [i used

multi-colored rotini.] Any noodle may be substituted. This

satisfying soup can be served as a main course.

 

2 carrots [i used three smallish ones]

1/2 pound green beans

2 zucchini [i used one large one]

8 whole plum tomatoes or 1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes [i used fresh

romas -- I think it would be more tomatoey with canned, but I like

soups to not be excessively tomatoey]

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 stalks [i think they mean ribs] celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 cup parsley, minced

3 tablespoons fresh basil, minced

3 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced

2 bay leaves

12 cups water

4 teaspoons kosher salt [i used a tablespoon of table salt]

1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups cooked, small white beans [i used 2 cups because that was what I had]

1/2 pound fusilli

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish [leaving this off was

trivial -- I tried it both ways, and both were yummy]

 

1. Peel carrots and cut into 1/2-inch sections. Trim stem ends from

green beans and cut into 1/2-inch lengths. Cut zucchini into

1/2-inch cubes. Core tomatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

 

2. Heat oil in an 8-quart stockpot or Dutch oven [i used a 6-quart

pot because it's the largest I have, and everything just barely fit]

over low flame. Cook onion, celery, and garlic for 6 minutes. Add

carrots, tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaves, the water,

salt pepper, white beans, and pasta [again, I'd hold off on the pasta

for another 15 minutes or so]. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to

medium, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add green beans and cook for 5

minutes. Add zucchini and cook for 3 minutes more. Ladle into

individual shallow soup plates and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

 

Makes 14 cups, 8 to 12 servings.

 

 

serene