Southern Minestrone Recipes

ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic clove, and pancetta cubes. Sautee on medium heat for a few minutes stirring a couple of times in the process.
• Add potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes, bay leaf, rosemary sprigs and a couple of pinches of salt.
• Give a nice stir and add enough water to cover all the veggies.Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Add more liquid if needed.
• Past this time veggies will become super soft and will "melt" one into another creating delicious creamy texture.
• Once veggies are cooked add chopped savoy cabbage or other leafy greens and drained canned beans. Add more water if needed. Give a nice stir and cook for another 15 minutes.
• As a last step, add pasta or rice. Let cook for 5-15 more minutes depending on how long pasta or rice will take to cook.
• If you're not planning to serve minestrone right away, don't add pasta or rice immediately.Instead, bring the soup to a boil when you're ready to serve it and then add pasta or rice.
• Minestrone is ready to serve when pasta (rice) is cooked. I takes about 5-6 minutes for ditalini pasta and about 15 minutes for rice.
• Serve hot or warm generously topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

SOUTHERN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, and celery and cook until the onions are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add 4 cups of the water, the cabbage, and the cheese rind. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then decrease the heat to low. Simmer until the mixture is flavorful and well combined, about 30 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, green beans, okra, yellow squash, zucchini, parsley, basil, and red pepper flakes. Add more of the remaining water to cover by about 1 inch. Continue to simmer slowly over very low heat until the vegetables are just tender, an additional 20 minutes. Add the pasta, and more water, if needed. Simmer until the pasta is tender, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with grated cheese.
• parmigiano-reggiano
• Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, dry cheese made from cow's milk. The rind is golden tan and the interior is creamy yellow. True Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy is aged eighteen to thirty-six months and is sharp and rich in flavor with a salty kick. While other countries make Parmesan cheese, real Italian Parmigiano- Reggiano is more expensive and is well worth every dime. Look for "Parmigiano-Reggiano" stenciled on the rind to authenticate the origin.