Fall Minestrone Rachael Ray Recipes

RACH'S MINESTRONE IS A CLASSIC

Steps:

• Cover the dry beans with water and soak them overnight
• Or, cover them with boiling water and soak for 1 hour then rinse and drain
• (For even quicker cooking, substitute canned beans and just add them to the soup along with tomatoes and stock
• ) Place soaked beans in a 6- to 8-quart pot and cover them with 3 inches of water
• Add bay and halved onion, and bring to full boil
• Salt water liberally and cook beans to tender, about 45 minutes
• Let cool in their liquid, which will be about 2 cups once cooked
• Heat a large Dutch oven or 8-quart soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and pancetta
• Render 3-5 minutes then add chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic; season with salt and pepper
• Sweat veggies 15 minutes, stirring occasionally then add potatoes and zucchini or other vegetable of choice, and season with salt
• Partially cover and soften 15-20 minutes more
• Wilt in escarole or kale
• In a small saucepan, add porcini mushrooms and stock just to cover, about 2 cups
• Simmer until the porcinis are softened, about 15 minutes
• Add herbs, tomatoes, remaining stock and cheese rind, and simmer a minimum of 1 hour and ideally 2 hours
• Add porcini and stock, leaving any grit behind, along with the beans and their liquid
• Cool 5 minutes and remove herb bundle, bay leaf and rind
• Serve in shallow bowls topped with a fat drizzle of good EVOO and some grated cheese
• Pass crusty bread at the table for mopping

FALL MINESTRONE - RACHAEL RAY

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over med-high heat; add olive oil.
• Add in the pancetta; brown for 2 minutes.
• Add in the red pepper flakes, garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and celery; cook 5-6 minutes, until mushrooms are lightly browned.
• Season with salt and pepper; add in rosemary stems and sage; add in zucchini and chopped greens; stir them in to the pot until all the greens wilt down, 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the beans, tomatoes, broths, and cheese rind; cover with lid and bring to a boil.
• Uncover and add ditalini pasta; cook for 7-8 minutes at a rolling simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente.
• Remove pot from heat; remove the rind and now bare rosemary stems; adjust salt/pepper to taste.
• Ladle soup into shallow bowls; top with grated cheese; serve with crusty bread.

GREEN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil and pancetta or prosciutto. Saute 2 minutes and add onions, celery, garlic, zucchini and bay to the pot. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, to your taste. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add white beans, garbanzo beans and chicken broth to the pot. Cover soup and bring to a boil. Add pasta and green beans to the soup and cook 8 minutes, or until pasta is just tender. Stir in spinach to wilt, 1 minute. Stir in grated cheese and ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with torn or shredded basil or chopped parsley.