Minestrone
This is from Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook
Ingredients
I generally do a lot of onion and then half that quantity of all the other vegetables. All cleaned and finely chopped to similar size pieces, with the potato and green beans being slightly larger - the size of the white beans. The oil and butter quantity is for 3 large onions.
- 8 tbsp olive oil
- 40g butter
- 3 large onions
- carrots
- sticks celery
- potatoes (need a waxy, vastkokend or salad variety)
- fresh white beans, or a tin, or dried beans soaked and cooked. Use haricot or canellini
- courgette
- French beans
- Savoy cabbage - finely shredded
- 1.5l broth, or water
- a crust from parmesan cheese (if you have it)
- tin of tomatoes
Method
The general method is to add a vegetable and gently cook it while you prepare the next one, keeping an eye on the pot to make sure they are not browning.
- In a large stockpot put in the oil and butter and gently cook the onions. Add in turn (see preamble) the carrots, celery, potatoes, white beans (if fresh), courgettes and finally the French beans. Each should have 2-3 minutes before the next goes in. Finally add the shredded cabbage and cook for a further 6 minutes.
- Add the broth or water, the cheese crust, tomatoes and a little salt. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer very slowly. Marcella says for 3 hours but I rarely do more than an hour.
- Fifteen minutes before end add the cooked beans if not using fresh. Taste and check for salt
The Classic Italian Cookbook Marcella Hazan