Like a great bolognese, a great soup can also be a labor of love. And this hearty minestrone soup is just that, a labor love. Like all great loves, it is one well worth the effort and investment of time. It was not until I made this minestrone did I truly understand all that went into making it. So weeks after my childhood best friend had this minestrone made and ready for me when I returned from the two day drive back to the midwest from the east coast, I told her I should have 'kissed the ground she walked on' for making it. Not only because it was insanely delicious, but because I knew she had made it after a long day of work (which meant she was on her feet for another couple of hours). In retrospect my simple 'thank you' expressed on the day we all enjoyed the soup did not seem to be enough.
Sautéed pancetta and a rind of Parmigiano-Regianno cheese elevate this minestrone from ordinary to extraordinary as the depth of flavor is further enhanced by these two ingredients. Leaving them out of the soup would be akin to leaving out the pecans in a pecan pie, the cocoa in hot chocolate, mozzarella cheese on a margherita pizza. In other words, it is not a hearty minestrone or even a minestrone if you leave out the pancetta and Parmigiano-Regianno cheese. Pancetta has become so readily available that you can almost always find it in the deli section of the grocery store. For this recipe you want really thick slices of pancetta so it can be cut into a 1/2 inch dice. One cut pancetta is cooked over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes (stirred occasionally) in two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil or until lightly browned.
In addition to the usual suspects of celery, garlic, onions, carrots and spinach, there is a vegetable you may not always associate with minestrone. That would be butternut squash. Like the pancetta and Parmigiano-Regianno cheese, the butternut squash sets this minestrone recipe apart from most others and adds to its' delicious hardiness (and heart healthiness).
So where does the labor of love come in? Well it comes first in the preparation stage and second in the cooking and simmering stages. So if (no when) you plan to make this soup, make sure you aren't making it at the end of a really long day (like I was) as it takes some time to cut up all of those vegetables into a half-inch dice. But don't let all of this cutting be a deterrent, think of it as an opportunity to work on your knife skills, or a time to let your mind just wander, or a time to let your mind race with all sorts of thoughts (just make sure to pay attention when you are cutting). The chopped vegetables along with the chopped thyme and garlic are added to the sautéed pancetta and cooked for 8 to 10 minutes or until they begin to soften (but still retain their shape).
Once the vegetables are sautéed, you add the can of diced tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, a bay leaf or two and a 2 to 3 inch Parmigiano-Regianno rind (still having some cheese on it). The minestrone is brought to a boil and then the heat is reduced to a simmer. Continue cooking uncovered for at least 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
While the soup is simmering (about 30 minutes) you bring salted water to boil and add two cups of pasta. If you do not want your pasta to 'overtake' the minestrone, use the tubetti pasta (it is an even smaller version of the digitali pasta). The pasta is cooked al dente according to package directions and drained before adding to the minestrone.
In addition to the drained pasta, a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans and a half cup of a dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works incredibly well) are added to the simmering vegetables (remove the bay leaves at this stage) and cooked for about 10 minutes. And if I have made you think the making of this soup is a little 'too much' for you (there are some of you thinking this), you can be enjoying a glass of white wine while you make this minestrone. No matter how much we may love to cook, we sometimes we need to reward ourselves with something tangible. And a glass of wine could not be a better example of something tangible!
The spinach is added and cooked until the leaves have wilted. If the soup is too thick add one to two cups of additional chicken stock. The final ingredients added to the soup are a 1/2 cup of dry white wine and two tablespoons of pesto. These are stirred in and allowed to simmer in the minestrone for 5 to 10 minutes. The hearty minestrone can be served immediately or the next day. When serving, finish the bowls of the minestrone with a drizzle of olive oil and some shredded Parmigiano-Regianno cheese. Note: The flavors of this minestrone further develop overnight, so it easily lends itself to being reheated.
A Hearty Minestrone (slight adaptation to Ina Garten's Winter Minestrone recipe)
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil, plus more when serving
4 - 5 ounces pancetta, 1/2 inch diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups diced carrots, about 3 to 4 large carrots or 4 to 6 smaller carrots (1/2 inch dice)
2 cups diced celery, about 3 large stalks or 4 to 6 smaller stalks (1/2 inch dice)
2 1/2 cups diced peeled butternut squash (1/2 inch dice)
4 to 5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
1 (2 to 3 inch) rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (rind should have some cheese remaining on it)
26 ounce can of diced tomatoes (recommend San Marzano)
6 to 8 cups chicken stock
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked small pasta (recommend tubetti) cooked al dente according to package directions
10-12 ounces baby spinach leaves or rough chopped standard sized spinach leaves
1/2 cup good dry white wine (recommend Sauvignon Blanc)
2 Tablespoons pesto (store-bought or homemade)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (for serving)
Bread or Bruschetta for serving with soup
Directions
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin oil in a large, heavy pot (think wide). Add the pancetta and cook over medium-low heat until it is lightly browned (about 6 to 8 minutes).
2. Add the onions, celery, butternut squash, garlic and thyme and cook over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften (about 8-10 minutes). The vegetables will soften but will retain their shape.
3. Add the can of tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken stock, one or two bay leaves, 1 Tablespoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper and a 2- 3 inch rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and continue cooking (pot uncovered) for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Discard the bay leaf.
5. Add the cannellini beans and cooked pasta. Cook on low heat until beans are heated through (about 5 to 10 minutes). If the soup is too thick at this point add up to 1 or 2 cups of the remaining chicken stock.
6. Add the chopped spinach, cooking until the spinach leaves are wilted.
7. Add the 1/2 cup of dry white wine and two tablespoons of pesto, simmering for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
8. Check for saltiness, if needed add salt to taste.
9. The bowls of soup should be drizzled with some extra-virgin olive oil and some freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve with either chunks of thickly cut bread or bruschetta.
With Thanksgiving now (unfortunately) over, I suppose it is time for me to begin thinking about the Christmas holidays. Only I don't want to just yet. I would rather just spend a few more days savoring this year's Thanksgiving experience before moving on to making lists, planning, baking, decorating, cooking, entertaining and wrapping (it is exhausting, in a sort of good way, to think about all of the energy that goes into (only one of the aspects of) Christmas).
We spent this Thanksgiving in the back country, the hinterlands of Kentucky with some very good friends. While we (literally) ate Thanksgiving dinner outside under the stars, we enjoyed the comforts of a heated wooden cabin complete with a fireplace, hot tub, and a spectacular view of the Red River Gorge. Getting to this beautiful, somewhat remote cabin meant having to walk down 80 stairs. But getting out meant walking up (ugh) 80 stairs. Yet, in addition to the climbs to and from the cabin (yes there were multiple ones in a day), we also went on some relatively short, steep, at times a little slippery (less than 2 mile round trip) hikes. My calves and quads have never had such a workout!
I can be a bit of a wimp when it comes to hiking on surfaces where there are more inclines than flat surfaces (meaning I whine through some of it as well as make the hikes a little longer for everyone while I catch my breath). But no matter how hard (I think) the hike is, the rewards are always well worth the effort (and overcoming of some irrational fear of falling). Hikes hard for some may be easy for others. The making of minestrone soup might fall into this category too (okay this could be a stretch, but not too far of stretch). The perception of easy and hard is all relative (something we all know, but at times can have difficulty acknowledging, particularly when we find something easy).
I sought to capture some of the views experienced during the hikes with my camera, but only looking at photos would have not been a replacement for having had the experience itself. So yes, for me, the breathlessness was worth taking in the breathtaking views. Needless to say I am thankful I didn't talk myself out of any of these hikes, but even more thankful to have spent this holiday so differently (meaning abandoning tradition and being open to possibility) as it just might be one of those experiences that forever changes how I look at my favorite holiday again.
