A recipe for a cloudy day--Minestrone

Normally I think of minestrone as a recipe for August, when eggplant, tomatoes, and herbs are at their peak. However, this version makes use of mostly canned and dried ingredients, and still manages to capture a lot of that sunny garden feeling, making it perfect for rainy fall days like we've been having this week.

Don't you love the steam rising off the soup? Kudos to my new camera.

This recipe is very flexible, especially with the vegetables. My mom likes to add cabbage and potatoes to hers. What I like about this one is that the puree makes it quite thick, verging on vegetable stew. Although it looks long, it really doesn't take much time to put together. A lot of the cook time is simply simmering. Enjoy!

Minestrone
Moosewood Cookbook
6-8 servings
45-60 minutes

5 cloves crushed garlic
1 c chopped onion
3 T olive oil
2 t salt, divided
1 c minced celery
1 c cubed carrot
1 c cubed eggplant
1 t oregano
¼ t pepper
1 t basil
1 c chopped red pepper
3 c vegetable stock
1 lg can (20 oz?) tomato puree
14 oz can of kidney beans
3 T dry red wine
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
½ c small dry pasta such as shells
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a soup kettle, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
2. Add 1 t salt, carrot, celery, and eggplant. Mix well. Add oregano, pepper, and basil. Cover and cook over low heat 5-8 minutes.
3. Add red pepper, stock, puree, beans, and wine. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and remaining salt. At this point, you can simmer the soup as long as you like, or proceed to step 5.
5. Bring soup back to boil, add pasta, and boil gently until it is tender, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with copious amounts of Parmesan cheese.

You can substitute zucchini for the eggplant; just add it along with the red pepper (which can also be green pepper if you prefer). This soup freezes nicely—just don’t add the pasta to the portion of the soup you freeze. When you warm it up, you can add pasta or just eat it as is. If you put extra beans in, it will be plenty hardy. If you buy “real” Parmesan cheese and have a leftover rind, let it simmer in the soup. You can then gnaw on it at the table. Tasty!