Recipes
Minestrone
Pairs Well With
Serves 8. Prep. Time is 2 hours.
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
4 oz pancetta, finely chopped
8 cups water, hot or 4 cups water and 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
1 med carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium red potato, diced
1/3 small cabbage, cut in pieces
6 sprigs parsley, stemmed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small bunch Swiss Chard, cleaned, ribs removed, cut into chiffonade
½ cup pasta, orzo or small shells
3 ½ cups petite diced canned tomatoes (or run larger canned tomato pieces in cuisinart briefly)
1 16oz can low sodium red kidney beans undrained
salt and pepper
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Small piece of Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
Preparation
Saute` the pancetta, rendering the fat. Remove pork bits and reserve. Add onion and garlic. Saute` until transluscent. Add wine and sauté until almost dry; add hot water (or water/broth), carrots, celery, potato, cabbage, parsley, Swiss chard, tomatoes, pork bits, and pasta.
Bring soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add cheese rind if desired at this time.
Drain kidney beans and add liquid to the pot. Mash 2/3 of the beans and add with the 1/3 beans to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for one hour.
Remove cheese rind, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.
