Minestrone

Minestrone loosely based on Recipes from an Italian Summer which is served warm…tonight it will be hot minestrone.

I made the soup in the Crockpot adding the squash, macaroni, and cannellini beans during the last 2 hour period of cooking time, adding more broth from time to time as needed.  6-8 hours total depending on the accuracy of your slow cooker.

http://www.phaidon.com/the-silver-spoon/recipes/2011/september/27/milanese-minestrone/

Minestrone

Ingredients

1-1/2 ounce thick slice of bacon
1/2 clove garlic  (2 finely diced)
1/2 onion (1 whole small)
1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley (use a couple more, c’mon)
1 rib of  celery
3 tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded, and diced or (1 can diced tomatoes/large or small can-more is better)
2 carrots, small dice
4 oven-roasted plum tomatoes rough chopped
3 potatoes, chopped
1-1-1/2 cups dried tubetti macaroni
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil 8 oz
1 ¾ cups shelled peas (I used frozen)
1/2 Savoy cabbage, shredded
1 can cannellini beans drained or cooked borlotti beans
4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
3-1/2-5 cups vegetable broth (can use ½ chicken and ½ vegetable
1 sprig fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper
Garnish with cheese, freshly grated

Alternate Method

Finely chop the lardons with garlic and onion. When the mixture is quite fine, add the parsley and celery and chop. Put the mixture into a saucepan, add the tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, courgettes, and oil and pour in 3 ½ pints water. Season with salt and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook for at least 2 hours. Add the peas, beans, and cabbage, simmer for 15 minutes, then add the rice and simmer, stirring occasionally, for a further 18 minutes until it is tender. Stir in the herbs, ladle into a soup tureen and serve with plenty of Parmesan. This minestrone should be fairly thick. It is excellent hot, but it is also good served warm or cold in the summer.