Winter Minestrone
When it’s cold and snowy there’s nothing better than a big bowl of soup. This winter minestrone with potatoes, spinach, cauliflower and beans will warm you up!
As I write the snow is just starting to fall and we’re battening down the hatches in preparation for the first big snowstorm of 2016 – bring it, Winter Storm Jonas, we’re ready for you!
Jonas’ timed his arrival as if he knew I had just made a big batch of winter minestrone earlier this week. A soup that I portioned and froze to keep on hand for a snowy cold day just like today. Now, as long as he doesn’t knock out our power or cause any other issues, we’re all good. I’m sort of in the mood for a big o’ winter storm.
About the soup: Minestrone is a tricky thing – is there a singular authentic recipe? Sharing a beloved, classic dish worries me sometimes – what if I step on someone’s toes due to a horrible culinary crime of substituting ingredients? So, I turned to research in my paranoid state and learned, after reviewing many recipes from trusted sources, that minestrone is sort of like the snowflakes falling outside my window right now – no two are alike. However, the common thread among all is that minestrone is a smart (and delicious!) way to use up whatever odds and ends are hanging around the kitchen.
In the end, I followed advice from two different places – Rao’s Cookbook by Frank Pellegrino ( a compilation of recipes from the famed New York City Italian restaurant) and Hunter Gatherer Angler Cook, the James Beard award-winning food blog created by Hank Shaw. From Rao’s I got the basic proportions and I borrowed Hank’s idea to puree the pancetta, which results in a subtle pork flavor and a thicker, velvetier texture that you wouldn’t otherwise get just using stock alone.
Carrots, potatoes, spinach, and cauliflower plus two types of beans play a starring role in my winter minestrone. It all cooks together in one pot and doesn’t take all day making it the perfect Saturday or Sunday afternoon kitchen project to keep on hand all week for warm and cozy lunches.
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces pancetta, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups diced celery (about 4 large stalks)
- 2 cups diced carrots
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, Diced
- 1 cup finely chopped cauliflower florets
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole San Marzano plum tomatoes, with juice
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 bunch spinach, chopped
- ¼ cup grated pecorino romano
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and let it cook until it’s rendered some of it’s fat. The bottom of the pan should be coated. Turn off the heat and, using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta (leave the fat in the pan) and transfer it to a food processer. Give it a few good pulses until it looks like a paste. Set it aside.
- In the same pot that you cooked the pancetta, add the onions, celery, carrots, parsely, and thyme. Cook it all together over medium high heat for about five minutes. Add the pancetta to the pot and give it all a good stir and let it all cook for another few minutes.
- Next, add the potatoes, cauliflower, vegetable broth, tomatoes, and 2 cups of water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir everything together. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes, until it’s nice and reduced. If the soup gets too thick too fast, thin it out with a bit of water, if needed.
- After 45 minutes, add the beans and the chopped spinach. Let cook another 15 minutes. Check the soup for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve with a generous helping of grated pecorino romano cheese.
The post Winter Minestrone appeared first on Girl Gone Gourmet.
Source: http://www.girlgonegourmet.com/2016/01/winter-minestrone.html
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