Minestra Di Verdura

 

MINESTRA DI VERDURA

(Peasant Soup)

In 2005, we rented a beautiful villa in Serravalle Pistoiese, near Montecatini, for a month.  It was common for my husband and I to accumulate additional travel friends.  For this trip we had four other couples with us who were staying in adjoining apartments.  Having a villa made our vacation more relaxing as one of our great pleasures was going to the open markets, local butchers and shopping where the locals would shop.

Our house was the meeting spot, eating spot and general common place where we all passed the time when we weren’t out touring the tiny towns of Tuscany.

We had been gone all day in Cinque Terre and had eaten our big meal at lunch at an amazing seafood restaurant in Portovenere.  We headed home late in the day arriving at the villa too tired to go back out, even for dinner, so it was time for my quick and easy Minestra di Verdura.  Dinner in Italy generally happens around nine p.m. so I had plenty of time to get this meal prepared and simmering.  Luckily, we had an organic grocery store of perfect ingredients right outside our door.  I took a stroll out to the garden to see what was ready for picking and found tomatoes, zucchini, onions, kale, celery, and carrots.  I didn’t have to search hard for the herb garden.  All I needed to do was follow the fragrance from the bushes of oregano, basil, and thyme to find the perfect seasonings. My pantry had cans of cannellini beans, so I was good to go.

I quickly started bread dough that I wanted to use for small pizzette as appetizers while we waited for our soup.  No need to turn on the oven, I cooked these right on the outdoor wood burning barbecue. I added a little pomarola (tomato sauce), buffalo mozzarella, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, sprinkle of oregano, and the pizzette was ready for cooking.  Just before serving, I placed a slice of prosciutto on top of the pizzette.  Delicious!

The sun stays high in this part of Italy until late in the evening. Watching it set over the foothills truly is an amazing sight. I remember setting the huge country table and opening the French doors so that we faced the sunset, and then the open fire for our dinner later that evening. Luciano Pavarotti singing Italian favorites, enjoying espresso, and then sipping limoncello completed a perfect evening.

Minestra di Verdura (Peasant Soup)

Lightly brown the following ingredients in ½ cup of olive oil in a large pot.

  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic

  • Pinch of crushed red pepper

  • 1 tsp of chopped fresh oregano

  • 1 tsp of chopped fresh thyme

  • ½ cup of parsley, chopped well

Add the following ingredients to the sautéed herbs and continue to sauté until vegetables are soft.

  • 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped fine

  • 3 large zucchinis, chopped into small cubes

  • 5 stalks of celery, chopped

  • 1 bunch of kale or collard greens, chopped

  • 1 large onions, chopped fine

  • 1 large tomato chopped fine

  • 2 8 oz cans of cannellini beans

  • 2 heaping tsp marinara sauce

  • *Add a rind of parmesan cheese for amazing flavor

Once vegetables are soft, add

  • 1 16 oz. container of chicken stock

  • 1 8 oz. container of beef brother (chicken may be substituted)

Simmer soup for 1 ½ hours.

Puree ¾ of the soup, leaving ¼ of the soup with the vegetables still intact.

If you would like to add pasta, cook it separately in water and add to soup if desired. However, the soup is very filling, so I have found that adding pasta makes it too heavy for my tastes.

TO SERVE:

Place a piece of toasted bread that has been rubbed with garlic clove and olive oil in bottom of individual bowls.  Pour soup on top of the bread, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Patrizia Trackman