Sunday, December 22, 2013

Minestrone Soup

Since it is December, I figured you all might want some warm-you-up kind of recipes, perhaps a soup? I made this Minestrone, and I don't think it will disappoint.

Dave and I took a cooking class at Sur La Table to celebrate our anniversary. The chef mentioned he likes to prep and prepare all of his ingredients first so all he has to do is throw them in to whatever he's cooking.

I thought it sounded like a good idea, too...

















Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 russet potato, peeled, cubed (I used a sweet potato)
1 (14 1/2) ounce can diced tomatoes
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini benas, drained, rinsed
2 (14 ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth
1 ounce piece Parmesan cheese rind
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic.  Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the Swiss chard and potato, saute for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig.  Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth (I skipped this part as I like my beans whole).  Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture.  Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.  Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off the stem).

Adapted from The Food Network

P.S. If you click on the individual link, scroll to the bottom, then you can choose to print the recipe as a PDF. You can also choose to delete the pictures, or whatever else you'd like to keep or discard for your recipe.


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