Minestrone With Crisp Parmesan Crumbs Recipes

HEARTY MINESTRONE WITH PARMESAN RIND

Steps:

• Crostini: In bowl, toss together bread, oil and pepper; spread on rimmed baking sheet. Bake in 400 oven, tossing once until golden and crisp, 6 - 8 minutes. (Can make ahead).
• Cook pasta before adding to soup.
• Soup: Saute onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper for about 5 - 8 minutes or until cooked. Scrape into slow cooker.
• Stir in tomato paste, ham hock, parmesan rind, potato, red and white beans and water. Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or until ham can be pulled off bone easily. Discard bay leaves and Paremesan rind.
• Increase heat to high. Stir in red pepper and zucchini; cook, covered for 20 minutes.
• Stir in cooked pasta.

CLASSIC MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a casserole heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Then add the carrots and celery and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the beans, bay leaf and thyme and toss for 1 minute. Then add the beef stock, Parmesan rind (if using), plum tomatoes and their juice, and salt and pepper to taste. (Careful with the amount of salt since Parmesan rind will add a salty flavor.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add the potatoes, zucchini and savoy cabbage and cook for 20 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender. Finally, add your pasta and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls and serve with some pesto.

SUMMER MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot add a 3-count of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic, onion, bay leaf, marjoram and basil. Saute gently until fragrant. Add the vegetables and cook a little of the moisture out, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Dump in the chicken stock and heavy cream bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 so the flavours can come together - do not let it boil hard. Remove half of the vegetables from the pot and puree and add back to the pot to thicken. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Serve each bowl with a spoonful of basil and mint pesto on top, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with watercress or parsley.
• Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until just combined and the pesto still has a lot of texture.

MINESTRONE WITH PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, carrots and pancetta and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water, the cabbage, chard, potato, chicken stock, tomatoes and bouquet garni. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes.
• Place half of the beans (1 1/2 cups) in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the bean puree and the whole beans to the soup and simmer 10 minutes. Add the spinach and cook 2 more minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cheese.

HUNTER'S MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Combine the stock and halved garlic head in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste; strain out the garlic. Keep warm.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni.
• Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sage, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. Chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. Add to the saucepan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
• To the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. Drain and stir into the simmering soup. Add the parsley, and salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.
• To serve, preheat the broiler. Put the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and float a couple of the baguette slices on top.

MINESTRONE WITH GARLIC AND PARMESAN CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté onion, carrot, and potato with salt to taste until vegetables are lightly browned. Add tomatoes and their liquid, broth, and pasta and simmer, stirring to break up tomatoes, 10 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables are tender.
• In a skillet sauté garlic in remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until golden and discard with a slotted spoon. In garlic-flavored oil fry bread, seasoned with salt, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden on all sides. Remove skillet from heat and add parsley and Parmesan, tossing croutons to coat well.
• Add zucchini and half the croutons to tomato mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until zucchini is almost tender and croutons are dissolved. Stir in romaine and cook 1 minutes.
• Serve soup sprinkled with remaining croutons.

CLASSIC MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add leek, carrots, zucchini, green beans and celery. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
• Stir in the stock, tomatoes and thyme. Bring to a boil, then replace the lid, and reduce heat to low; simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Stir in the cannellini beans with liquid and pasta. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.