It's been a while since we had some minestrone...
1 cup Rancho Gordo Marcella beans and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, over low heat or until beans are cooked. If the water gets too low, add some more. Takes about 90 minutes. These beans were NOT soaked.
You can use a pressure cooker to cut the time substantially, but I prefer preparing them this way. As a bonus, I also have 4 cups of bean broth which I'll be putting to good use.
1 onion, finely diced.
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced.
3-4 celery stalks, diced.
Incidentally, I thought I'd show you the two knives I use most often in our kitchen. The knife on the left is a silicon-bladed knife I use for most tasks. The one on the right is a Japanese chef's knife from Bernal Cutlery that slices and chops like a dream.
Bernal Cutlery -- http://bernalcutlery.com/
Back to the recipe...
1/2 lb. new potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 lb. each green and wax beans, trimmed and diced. Not shown are two bowls filled with 2 bunches shredded Swiss chard and 1/2 lb. diced zucchini.
2 large heirloom tomatoes, rough-chopped. Not shown is a 28-oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes.
Warm 1/2 cup olive oil in a large pot over low heat. Add 3 tbsp. unsalted butter. Melt butter.
When the butter foams, add
your diced onion, carrot and celery, and if you like, 2-3 tbsp. minced Italian parsley. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables begin to soften and color. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
This is about right.
Next, add the potatoes. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Next, add the green and wax beans and the zucchini. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Next, add the tomatoes, the crushed tomatoes and the Swiss chard. Mix well. Season with salt and black pepper. Raise heat to medium so that the liquid in the pot bubbles a little bit. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 6 cups water, and if you want, a small piece of rind from a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the vegetables are meltingly tender.
Towards the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the cooked dried beans to the pot.
When the soup is done, fish out the rind and discard. Transfer 2-3 ladlefuls to a blender and puree. Add the pureed soup back to the pot. Taste for salt and black pepper, then serve.
Minestrone, garnished with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
We skipped adding any pasta or fried bread. It didn't need it.
This recipe is sized for 8-10 people and takes about 2 1/2 hours, including prep. Cooked beans can be prepared in advance.
