Tom Colicchios Summer Minestrone Recipes

SUMMER MINESTRONE WITH FRESH BASIL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about a minute, and stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 quarts water, the turnip, zucchini, and the bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the canned beans. Taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
• While the soup is simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Boil 5 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, allow to cool, and drain. Retain the cooking water in case you want to thin out the soup later.
• Add the pasta to the soup and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Stir the cooked green beans into the soup. Grind in some pepper and taste and adjust seasonings. It should be savory and rich-tasting.
• Stir in the basil or pistou, or place a spoonful of pistou in each bowl and stir in. Serve in wide soup bowls, with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top.

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.

TOM COLICCHIO'S SUMMER MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Place cranberry beans in a saucepan, add cold water to cover generously and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, blacken skin of pepper over open flame, peel, core, rinse, pat dry and cut in small dice. Set aside.
• Fill a large bowl with water and plenty of ice. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add fava beans and peas and boil 6 minutes. Add green beans and wax beans, and cook 3 minutes longer. Drain vegetables, and place in ice water. When cold, drain again and set aside.
• Cut celery, leeks, onion, fennel, carrots, zucchini and eggplant in uniform small dice, keeping vegetables separate.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in an 8- to 10-quart pot. Add garlic and about a third of the celery, leeks, onion, fennel and carrots, taking care to maintain oil at a slow sizzle. Season with salt and pepper. Continue adding these vegetables gradually so oil keeps sizzling, seasoning as you go. When all have been added, continue cooking 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add zucchini, eggplant and reserved red pepper gradually, so slow cooking in pot is maintained. Keep seasoning with salt and pepper. When all these vegetables have been added, stir in tomato paste and enough stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a simmer.
• Add escarole, and cook about 6 minutes, until tender. Stir in cranberry beans and thyme. If serving immediately, add fava beans, peas, green beans, wax beans, basil and remaining olive oil. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed. To serve later, fill sink to depth of six inches with cold water and ice, and place pot in sink to stop cooking. When cool, set aside or refrigerate. When ready to serve, add fava beans, peas, green beans and wax beans, basil and remaining olive oil, and reheat to simmer before serving.

SUMMER VEGETABLE MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the leeks and celery, and cook for 8 mins until soft. Add the courgettes and garlic. Cook gently for 5 mins more.
• Pour in the stock and simmer, covered, for 10 mins. Add the asparagus, peas and broad beans, and cook for a further 4 mins, until just cooked through. Stir in the chopped basil and season well. Scatter with basil leaves and serve with crusty bread.