The Can Can of Minestrone

This recipe came from my husbands side of the family.   The original recipe started with dried northern beans.  When the recipe was first given to me, I was told I had to prick each dried bean with a pin so that it would absorb the water better.   Of course this made the recipe less appealing.   I made several times the old fashioned way by soaking the beans and it turned out as yummy as the first time I tried it.   The next few times I made it I replaced the dried beans with canned northern beans  and replaced the water with chicken stock and it is still delicious and oh so easy to make.

 

The next time you are shopping at one of the Can sales in the grocery store, remember to try this recipe.  As you can see it calls for 6 cans of vegetables.

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There are many types of Minestrone; this one is my favorite because adding the butter at the end enhances the flavors of the beans and other vegetables.   

Yes you can make this with fresh vegetables, but honestly why would you when it tastes so good this way.



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Soup for Your Belly

There is nothing better than a bowl of warm and steamy soup on a dark, damp, rainy day.   Yes, you guessed it, it is raining here today.  I snatched this recipe up from my mother-in-law.    It is an Italian soup that uses penny pinching ingredients, which when mixed together make a most flavorful soup.   Be sure to have some crusty Italian bread for sopping up some of the wonderful broth.   This soup comes with an added bonus.  As you can see it takes only a few ingredients that couldn’t be easier to put together and cooked in about an hour.  

Greens & Beans Soup

1 large escarole cleaned and chopped

¼ lb. bacon or pancetta
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
4 cans chicken broth
1 can cannelloni beans rinsed and drained
Dash nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese for topping

Fill a large bowl full of ice cold water and leave it in the sink.   Remove outer leaves from escarole and discard them.  Chop the remainder of the escarole into bite size pieces.   Place into bowl of water in the sink.   Push down and stir escarole in the water repeatedly to remove the and grit that gets stuck in the lower part of the leaves.   Drain and rinse a couple of times.  Set aside.

Chop bacon into ¼” pieces. Sauté in large stock pan until bacon is almost crisp.  Add garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and onion sauté until translucent.  Add escarole, chicken broth and beans.  Bring to full boil for 15 minutes and then turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and sprinkle of Parmesan.

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