Just-Right Minestrone

[ScorchedPalate]

Just-Right Minestrone

Serves 4 as Soup.

I made my minestrone tonight, combining two recipes: One from The Romagnoli's Table, that was too convoluted for weeknight use, and one from Cook's Illustrated that was simplified past the point of reason. Here's what I came up with.

• 1 large onion
  
• 2 medium carrots
  
• 2 stalks celery
  
• 2 T olive oil
  
• 2 oz salt pork
  
• 1 white potato, peeled
  
• 3 c spinach (or other hearty greens), cut into strips
  
• 1 can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
  
• 8 c hot water
  
• 2 tsp salt
  
• 1 parmesan cheese rind (2 x 5")
  
• 1-1/2 c drained, rinsed garbanzo beans (canned or precooked)
  

scant 1/2 cup small elbow macaroni

• 
  

Roughly chop 1/2 of the onion, 1 carrot, and 1 celery stalk; dice the salt pork. Put all 4 ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and process to a paste, scraping down as needed. Saute the paste in the olive oil over medium heat until golden. While the batutto is sauteeing, cut the remaining celery and carrot into 1/4-inch dice, along with the peeled potato. Once the batutto is golden, add the water, salt, and parmesan rind to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Add the diced vegetables to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Slice the remaining onion into slivers. Add this to the pot, along with the spinach, chopped tomatoes, and macaroni; simmer 15 minutes more. At the end of 15 minutes, or when all veggies are done, mash half of the garbanzo beans. Add the mashed beans and remaining whole beans to the pot, and cook an additional 5 to 15 minutes, to desired thickness. Remove from heat, adjust seasonings, and serve.

( RG1189 )