I guess technically any soup that contains beans, vegetables, and noodles can be called Minestrone, right? At least that is what a recent article in the Wall Street Journal said. I have always thought of Minestrone as having a clear tomato broth with green beans, kidney beans, a few other common vegetables, macaroni noodles and some parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. But the following soup can be called "Minestrone" because it has those three basic elements: beans, veggies, and starch. I could just keep inventing new "Clarion River Organics Minestrone soups" every week depending upon what CRO sends us, but then that would get confusing! I am fairly certain you can't mess this up. Just use what you still have in your fridge from CRO, throw in some beans and a starch and call it "Clarion River Minestrone Soup"!
Clarion River Minestrone Soup with Rosemary Pesto
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced plus 2 whole cloves
3 stalks celery
1/2 of a large Clarion River Organics rutabaga, peeled and diced
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 can (15-oz) white beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
3 cups Clarion River Organics chopped cabbage (about 1/3 of the head)
1 small apple, peeled and diced OR 1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 pound dry spaghetti, broken into thirds
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Rosemary Pesto:
1 cup kale, chard or other leafy green (the Clarion River Organics bok choi greens would work well)
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/4 cup rosemary sprigs
2 Tbsp olive oil
Spray a large cooking pot with cooking oil and place over medium heat. Add onions and minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and just beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add a little water to the pot as necessary to keep onions from sticking and burning.
Stir in celery, rutabaga and cook another 5 minutes. Add 4 cups vegetable broth, bay leaves, white beans, lentils, cabbage, and apples or apple cider. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the additional 2 cups of broth as needed to keep enough liquid to make this a soup and not a porridge! Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the dry spaghetti and continue to simmer about 10 more minutes. Make the rosemary pesto: in a food processor, puree greens, pecans, whole garlic cloves, a pinch of salt and oil until mixture is reduced to a paste.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Place 1 or 2 dollops of pesto on top of each bowl. Serves 6.
Here is the first of what will be "Sandy's Soup Series"! From here on out a number of my recipes will be for soup. It is that time of year when there is a damp chill in the air and fall vegetables lend themselves so nicely to warming soups. Root vegetables, squash, apples, and greens all make for flavorful soup additions and endless possibilities. And is there really anything like the scent of a pot of soup simmering on the stove? I think not.
Great Green Veggie Soup
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1 32-oz. carton vegetable broth
1/2 head broccoli, including stalk, cut up (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, minced
1/2 tsp dried dill
2 to 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 bunch greens (I used the CRO brussel sprout greens), chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
In a small container, combine the couscous with 1 cup boiling water. Cover and set aside. In a soup pot, combine broth with 2 cups water and bring to a simmer. Add broccoli, peas, fennel, scallions, ginger and dill. Return to a rapid simmer, cover and cook 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are done. Stir in soy sauce to taste, greens, and cilantro/parsely. Cook about 5 more minutes or until the greens have wilted and are tender. Stir in the couscous and serve at once. Serves 6-8.
1/2 of a large Clarion River Organics rutabaga, peeled and diced
