Italian cuisine has firmly and reliably entered our lives. True, somehow one-sided, mainly pizzas, pasta and lasagna. But in the culinary of the country, the “boot” has a lot of great soups, first of all - the minestrone. This dish is almost the most beloved one in their homeland: Italians, unlike most Europeans, respect hearty dinners, not dinners. Moreover, it can be easy, and very satisfying, and in the form of mashed potatoes, and the usual first. Minestrone classic soup is prepared in a variety of ways. In fact, every mistress has her own recipe. But, whatever you choose, anyone will be approved by both you and your loved ones.
What is hiding under the name
In the Italian names of dishes it is precisely indicated what is meant by them. So, minestra is just soup, minestrina is its light version, and minestrone is a thick, rich version. And not necessarily the density is achieved by mashed potatoes, just as many components as possible are put in the dish. And surely the minestrone must be beautiful, otherwise you will get, though delicious, but the most ordinary vegetable soup.
General rules
Initially, the classic minestrone prepared for a very long time - up to six hours. In the process, the vegetables were boiled almost until mashed. Modern rhythms of life and equipment that facilitates cooking have reduced the time to three hours, or even less - in the end, it’s easy to get a mushy consistency with a blender. However, several rules are still observed now.
- Vegetables laid in the minestrone are fried, and in many cases also pre-stewed.
- Minestrone is a seasonal dish. It is not necessary to scrupulously follow the recipe and use the expensive, but chemically overwhelmed winter bell pepper. You can take something more natural.
- Legumes must be present in the soup. It can be peas, beans or chickpeas. Of course, preference should be given to fresh, but if they are not there, the beans are pre-soaked.
- If you are interested in real minestrone soup, the classic recipe advises to grind some vegetables and part to pieces: the density will be sufficient, and whole slices will add beauty and richness.
- Pasta is taken exclusively hard varieties.
- A lot of greenery is a must!
A classic minestrone should have at least a dozen different vegetables. It is not always possible to diversify the ingredients so much, but at least 6-7 types of "get" will have to.
Delicious minestrone: recipe with photo
We assume that we have only dry beans in stock. A glass of beans is poured with water at night, and in the morning it is boiled for two hours, until completely soft. Non-evaporated water is drained. On a head of romaine and radicchio, large bell peppers and blue onions are chopped and cooked for a quarter of an hour. The broth is filtered off, the vegetables are mashed. Onion cuts finely, carrots rubs; frying is made of them. Greens - parsley, feather and dill - are chopped. A 200-gram Camembert head is cut into cubes. Vegetable puree is laid in two liters of broth; after boiling, frying and beans are introduced. The minestrone is once again brought to a boil, after which cheese with herbs is added. Almost immediately after stirring, the pan is covered and removed from the heat. A quarter hour of insisting - and lunch is ready.
Classic with Bacon
Do not forget that the minestrone is a very “democratic” soup, and among the recipes you can find one that suits everyone. Including those who prefer meat dishes. With bacon, minestrone is especially tasty. To create it, 100 grams of bacon are cut into cubes and stewed in vegetable (preferably olive) oil. When the “fat” starts up fat, chopped two onions and a garlic clove are poured. As the frying is gilded, it is transferred to the pan and is supplemented by chopped four celery stalks, medium zucchini, one hundred grams of fresh beans, two tomatoes, asparagus (about 4 pieces) and bell peppers - one red, the other yellow is taken for beauty. Without adding liquid, the vegetables are stewed until softened, after which one and a half liters of broth or hot water is poured, and cooking continues for another 20 minutes. Shortly before turning off the stove, the minestrone is flavored with chopped chili pepper, salt and any herbs.
Minestrone with pasta
Everyone knows how much Italians love pasta. It is not surprising that minestrone soup is also prepared with them. The classic recipe with pasta comes to life in several stages:
- Larger leeks and two petioles of celery are cut into thin slices.
- Two carrots are chopped into strips.
- A medium-sized zucchini is cut into small cubes.
- All components are stacked in a large pan, half a glass of green beans and three tablespoons of olive oil are added to them.
- Capacity is placed on fire; when it starts to hiss, it closes with a lid, the fire is screwed on. Quenching is carried out for about 15 minutes, with periodic shaking.
- Add water or broth, about one and a half liters, a can of canned tomatoes, thyme, pepper, fresh basil and herbs - and again under the lid for half an hour.
- The final touch is a can of canned beans along with juice and ... pasta.
After ten minutes of cooking, the soup is poured on plates, flavored with grated cheese and chopped parsley and eaten hot.
Mushroom Italian Soup
Another just wonderful minestrone! A recipe with a photo and a detailed description of the cooking technology will bring to your attention right now. So ... Housewives will need to soak ahead and cook half a glass of beans. A two-liter pot of water is placed on the fire. While it boils, potatoes, carrots, half zucchini, eggplant and a large tomato, a hundred grams of fresh mushrooms, the same amount of pumpkin are cut (not too large). All this is laid out in boiling water, supplemented with green beans and fresh peas (half a cup each), and after boiling it is aged on the stove for a quarter of an hour. Then the onion is sliced in half rings, the garlic clove in slices, and a little cabbage in straws. All this is poured into the pan, the soup is salted and flavored with spices: marjoram, basil, oregano, savory. After another 15 minutes, a fine paste is poured - about half a glass, and a spoonful of olive oil is poured.
When the pasta is ready, the minestrone is immediately poured in portions, freshly prepared pesto sauce is added to it - and you can start dinner. Bright, fragrant and incredibly delicious soup will surely appeal to your loved ones. Bon Appetit!