This recipe assumes you know what you are doing as far as a good stock is concerned (intermediate class, folks), and that you know a thing or two about the cradle of Western Civilization's Culinary arts, that is to say, no, not French, but Italian cuisine.
There are more variations on minestrone than you probably imagine. The Latin root of the word simply comes from 'that which is served,' but in modern Italian it has come to mean 'soup plus one.' In other words a substantial soup or stew. Minestrone is often considered to have come from the 'poor school' of Italian cooking though that need not be so at all. The pot also generally receives whatever happens to be lying around the kitchen that day.
This minestrone contains no tomatoes and gets it body from prosciutto ham bones. These can be found in Italian delicatessens but may take some hunting down. You may substitute Italian ham for the bones, but if you do, add the ham meat at the last minute or it will become mealy.
Ingredients you want:
-Two quarts to a gallon of stock made from prosciutto ham bones
-An optional number of well thought out green vegetables such as snap peas and green beans (French are attractive)
-Any white legume (I like the big French ones shaped like lima beans but navy beans work fine), properly soaked and parboiled
-Hominy is an interesting option that may be used along with the beans or instead of them
-A bowl containing at least four ounces of pesto
I assume that if you've followed me so far, you'll know how to proceed from there.
About the greens: I do use parsley at the risk of it clashing with the pesto but start it at the beginning of the main cooking process. I will use regular onions, but prefer leeks if I have them. I don't use leafy vegetables such as spinach because I find them either to be messy or overwhelming. For the latter reason I also stay away from broccoli (though a bit cabbage lends a hand to things). Mild, firm vegetables are best. Try treats like asparagus (white or green) or freshly hulled artichoke hearts (don't know what to tell you to do with the leaves though!)
I avoid cloves, garlic (though some is in the pesto), or any strong spice in this dish. A strong flavor of prosciutto is de rigueur. Finally, guests spoon in the pesto themselves after the dish is served and on the table. This soup is guaranteed to make them forget all about the entre to follow. Buon appetito!
There are more variations on minestrone than you probably imagine. The Latin root of the word simply comes from 'that which is served,' but in modern Italian it has come to mean 'soup plus one.' In other words a substantial soup or stew. Minestrone is often considered to have come from the 'poor school' of Italian cooking though that need not be so at all. The pot also generally receives whatever happens to be lying around the kitchen that day.
This minestrone contains no tomatoes and gets it body from prosciutto ham bones. These can be found in Italian delicatessens but may take some hunting down. You may substitute Italian ham for the bones, but if you do, add the ham meat at the last minute or it will become mealy.
Ingredients you want:
-Two quarts to a gallon of stock made from prosciutto ham bones
-An optional number of well thought out green vegetables such as snap peas and green beans (French are attractive)
-Any white legume (I like the big French ones shaped like lima beans but navy beans work fine), properly soaked and parboiled
-Hominy is an interesting option that may be used along with the beans or instead of them
-A bowl containing at least four ounces of pesto
I assume that if you've followed me so far, you'll know how to proceed from there.
About the greens: I do use parsley at the risk of it clashing with the pesto but start it at the beginning of the main cooking process. I will use regular onions, but prefer leeks if I have them. I don't use leafy vegetables such as spinach because I find them either to be messy or overwhelming. For the latter reason I also stay away from broccoli (though a bit cabbage lends a hand to things). Mild, firm vegetables are best. Try treats like asparagus (white or green) or freshly hulled artichoke hearts (don't know what to tell you to do with the leaves though!)
I avoid cloves, garlic (though some is in the pesto), or any strong spice in this dish. A strong flavor of prosciutto is de rigueur. Finally, guests spoon in the pesto themselves after the dish is served and on the table. This soup is guaranteed to make them forget all about the entre to follow. Buon appetito!
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