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Bon Appetit! Italian Antipasto Suzanne DeKeyzer James

Minestrone Soup Continued

The favorite way of creating Minestone is to make it several days in advance. This allows the
broth to soak up the natural flavors of the vegetables. After letting the soup sit for a few days,
reheat it on the stone and add slices of stale bread. This acts as a thickening agent. Be sure to
toast the bread to a golden brown, then rub the bread with garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
Minestrone is a light vegetable soup so if you opt to add pasta instead, omit the bread and serve
on the side, prepared in the same way as noted above. Add extra water when using pasta.

Preparation of the Vegetables:
Dice the large onion, peel and dice the potatoes, shred the cabbage, dice the zucchini squash,
chop celery and add green beans, peel and dice the butternut or acorn squash, break up and cut
cauliflower, rinse and add the canned beans.
Warm the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and potatoes. Sauté over a medium heat,
stirring occasionally until the onion is soft and the potato begins to leave a starchy film on the
pan (about 8-10 minutes).
Add all the vegetables, the beans, herbs, and about a gallon of water with seasonings. Simmer
over a medium-low heat, partially covered, until the cabbage is tender and the other vegetables
are fork tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Check the seasoning and add according to taste.

To Plate:

Served with Bread: Place two slices of bread in each soup plate and pour warm soup over the
bread and serve.
Served with Pasta: When the minestrone is done, cover it and put on medium-high heat. When
the soup comes to a boil, add the pasta. Check pasta often and when it is still al dente turn off the
head. Leave to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

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