Minestrone is a thick Italian soup made from fresh, seasonal vegetables. Doesn't exist alone the right recipe classic Minestrone, as the set of vegetables in the soup changes from region to region of Italy. Also, the set of vegetables changes during the season itself, since only seasonal vegetables are used for Minestrone, which are available and cheap during this period.
But it should be noted some important features of the preparation of Minestrone soup. Vegetables are cut very finely and then slowly fried, which provides a special taste of this dish. Also an important feature of the classic Minestrone is that some of the vegetables are pureed, and this makes the soup very thick. It is also important that the composition of the classic Minestrone necessarily includes some legumes.
The more vegetables included in the Minestrone, the better, but in the classic Minestrone they should not be less than 8. Vegetables for Minestrone should be cut finely so that they absorb the olive oil well during frying. The fire during frying should be minimal.
cooking secrets
Italians are very fond of thick and rich minestrone soup, which is the most popular dish in Italy - like our borscht. Interestingly, minestrone means “big soup” or “soup” in Italian, because it contains a huge amount of a wide variety of ingredients. According to tradition, it is boiled in a large pot, and then the whole family is invited to the table. Children, parents, grandparents are noisily and cheerfully tasting tasty dish, rejoice in life and enjoy communication. It is probably no coincidence that minestrone is called the soup of centenarians, because good mood at the table promotes longevity.
Minestrone is brewed with seasonal vegetables that can be found on the market at that time of the year, so its composition may vary. It turns out that there are no strict recipes for making minestrone, and each housewife can cook it in her own way. It is for this versatility that the Italians appreciate their "deep soup", which perfectly satisfies hunger and satisfies the refined tastes of gourmets.
The most suitable period for preparing this dish is the second half of summer and autumn, when the markets and shops are full of vegetables, since vegetables are the main component of minestrone. But this does not mean that you need to give up this dish in winter and spring. No Italian would ever make such a sacrifice! Since minestrone is a versatile dish, you can use any vegetable, although this does not mean that they can be mixed mindlessly. If you follow some rules adopted in Italian cuisine, the taste of the dish will only benefit from this.
Zucchini, eggplant, Bell pepper, green peas, tomatoes, fresh and green beans. Winter and spring soup is cooked with beet chard, dry beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Savoy cabbage. Italians add onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the dish all year round. However, taking into account Russian conditions, we can make some changes to the classic minestrone recipe by adding potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, corn, asparagus, fennel, spinach, lentils and other seasonal vegetables growing in our area to the soup. Regular beets, frozen and canned vegetables can be added to winter soup options, although Italian gourmets oppose frozen vegetables. As they say, tastes differ!
Several Yet interesting moments. It is rare that Italian chefs use Brussels sprouts and arugula for minestrone - it is believed that they interrupt the taste and aroma of other vegetables and the soup smells only of Brussels sprouts or arugula. However, if you really love these vegetables - why not add them to the minestrone? Chicory, artichokes and radicchio add a bitter taste to the dish, so they are usually not used.
This light soup boiled in vegetable, meat or chicken broth. Italians themselves love pancetta broth - Italian bacon or ham on the bone. Sometimes a little dry wine is added to the broth - for piquancy and sophistication of taste.
Spices and seasonings are an indispensable ingredient in minestrone, because without spices, the soup will lose its zest. Maybe it will turn out delicious, but it will not be a minestrone. Italians mostly use rosemary, garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, bay leaf, oregano and pesto. For richness, add to the soup different types legumes, curly pasta made from durum wheat in the form of butterflies, shells, bows, feathers or spirals, and arborio rice, which is commonly used for risotto. Grilled meat and ham make the soup more satisfying and appetizing, and grated cheese gives it tenderness and a thick texture.
Interestingly, the light version of the soup has its own name - minestrina, as the Italians affectionately call it. This soup, cooked in water or vegetable broth, is wonderfully refreshing on a hot day, especially when served chilled. Meat minestrone is more suitable for cold weather, as it warms well and satisfies hunger for a long time.
Despite the fact that Italian chefs adhere to certain rules for preparing this dish, historically, minestrone was a peasant soup, so everything that was at home was added to it. He was somewhat reminiscent of our hodgepodge or okroshka.
There are several secrets of how to cook minestrone to make it tasty and appetizing.
Secret 1. Diced vegetables are dipped in boiling salted water and cooked until tender, while the pan should not be covered with a lid. Water should be 5 cm above the level of vegetables. The finished soup is poured into bowls, seasoned with olive oil, allspice and grated cheese. This dietary method of preparing minestrone is suitable for those who follow their figure.
Secret 2. Vegetables are boiled in the same way as in the first recipe, and then half of them are crushed in a blender, and this puree is added to the soup. At the same time, vegetables can be fried or not fried - it's all a matter of taste.
Secret 3. Minestrone soup with vegetables sautéed in olive oil - richer, brighter, more buttery and satisfying. However, vegetables should be fried very slowly, almost languishing - this is exactly what is recommended in the classic minestrone soup recipe. However, given the modern rhythm of life, this is not always possible.
Secret 4. Grains, pasta and legumes are added to the pan during the cooking process. In this case, beans and dry peas must be boiled in advance.
Secret 5. Minestrone is called the soup of the second day, because it is on the next day that it becomes especially rich. The fact is that vegetables give their aroma to the broth, and it acquires an appetizing taste that cannot be compared with anything.
In Italy, there are many different recipes for the classic minestrone - for example, in Milan it is prepared with bacon, sage and parmesan, in some Mediterranean areas - with pepper and eggplant, and there are rural areas in Italy where the main ingredient of the soup is turnip. In Tuscany, chefs always add white beans to the minestrone, in Sardinia - chickpeas, and in Liguria, pesto sauce is an obligatory addition. Italian minestrone is always very thick, so you can fill up even one bowl of soup.
Try cooking the Ligurian way to see why the Italians are so fond of this dish. Finely chop 100 g of pancetta, which can be replaced with brisket or bacon, and fry in a saucepan with a little olive oil. Next, chop any seasonal vegetables, such as one carrot, celery root, one zucchini, onion and leek, 200 g green beans, and also chop the beet tops. Add the onion to the pancetta, when it becomes slightly golden, put the carrots and celery in the pan. After 10 minutes of stewing, enter all the other vegetables, fill with water so that it is 3 fingers higher, salt and cook for an hour. Pour fine curly pasta into the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes until al dente - when the pasta is ready, but not boiled soft, while maintaining elasticity and a slightly hard core. Some Italian housewives add 2-3 peeled potato tubers along with other vegetables, and then simply knead it with a spoon. By the way, bacon is optional for this recipe. When the minestrone is ready, add 4 tbsp. l. pesto sauce and cool before serving - it will be much tastier!
Another interesting italian recipe sure to please your family. This is how minestrone is brewed in Genoa, the capital of Liguria. Take a heavy-bottomed saucepan and fry a clove of garlic, a small diced carrot and an onion in a little olive oil, adding a little fresh rosemary for flavor.
Next, fill the vegetables with water (about 1.5–2 liters), add 100 g of pre-cooked green beans and diced vegetables - 3 medium-sized potatoes, 50 g pumpkin, 1 zucchini, 100 g Savoy cabbage, 1 fennel. Mix vegetables with 3-4 finely chopped celery stalks and 1 leek (white part), add pasta, salt, pepper and cook until tender.
Pour the finished soup into bowls, add 1 tbsp to each of them. l. fresh spinach and grated parmesan, drizzle with olive oil and enjoy the exquisite taste of minestrone!
Minestrone with chicken, although not an Italian classic, is very popular in modern European cuisine. This soup is very fond of children, so cook it for your little gourmets.
Boil chicken breast broth with bay leaf, onion, cloves and peppercorns. For one breast, take about 2 liters of water and let the broth boil for about 40 minutes, then strain it and cut the chicken into cubes.
Cut the vegetables into cubes or strips too - 1 zucchini, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 2 celery roots, and disassemble half a head of cauliflower or broccoli into inflorescences. Sauté the onion in a pan for a few minutes with 2 tbsp. l. butter and olive oil, add celery and carrots to it and after 3 minutes - zucchini. When the vegetables are stewed for a few more minutes, put them in the broth along with chicken pieces and cook for a quarter of an hour.
Pour boiling water over 2 tomatoes, carefully peel them, chop finely and add to the soup along with cauliflower, send 100 g of fresh or frozen green peas and 150 g of fine pasta there. Boil the minestrone for another 7 minutes until the pasta is cooked, season the dish with dry herbs such as dill, parsley and basil, and let it brew.
Serve the aromatic minestrone with fresh herbs, grated Parmesan and fresh minced garlic.
This soup according to the recipe of the inhabitants of Bolzano is unusually hearty, appetizing and tasty. 100 g ground beef fry in 1 tbsp. l. olive oil with finely chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Add diced carrots and half a celery root to the minced meat, fry a little more and add 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, and then pour the meat with vegetables with 2 liters of meat broth, add 1 tbsp. l. dry white wine and cook the minestrone for 15 minutes. Pour 200 g of any curly pasta into the pan and continue cooking until they are ready. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with a sprig of basil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
On the site "Eat at Home!" you will find a recipe from Julia Vysotskaya and many others interesting options this Italian soup. There are very unusual recipes with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, fish, seafood, bacon, pearl barley, nuts and fruits. And the most delicious will be exactly the minestrone that you have prepared yourself for your beloved family. If you don't have fresh vegetables on hand, you can easily replace them with frozen vegetable mixes. Make minestrone more often, because this soup is eaten so quickly!
Italian vegetable soup is a popular lunch option for Italian families. It always contains a lot of ingredients, which makes the taste of the dish unique. Best Recipes Minestrone are collected in this collection.
Ingredients: 320 g of zucchini, 120 g of potatoes, bell peppers and onions, 200 g of tomatoes, 80 g of carrots, 60 g of tomato paste, a clove of garlic, 30 g of hard cheese, 7 large spoons of olive oil, 1.3 l of peeled water, salt.
According to the classic Minestrone recipe, the dish is served with tomato pasta and finely grated cheese.
Ingredients: 230 g beef, 3 medium potatoes, celery stalk, carrots and onions, 2 pcs. turnips, 160 g cabbage, a small zucchini, half a bunch of fresh herbs, a mix of peppers, 5-6 fresh champignons, salt.
Meat is removed from the finished dish, cut into pieces and returned back. Salt, peppers, chopped herbs are added to the soup. The treat is left for another 5 minutes on heating.
Ingredients: 2 l vegetable broth, 90 g pasta (macaroni), 1 pc. onions, carrots, celery (stalk), potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini, 90 g each green peas and green beans, 60 g Brussels sprouts, a clove of garlic, 3 tbsp. l. olive oil, 60 g Parmesan, salt.
If necessary, the soup is salted, sprinkled with grated Parmesan and served at the table.
Ingredients: 40 g pasta, 60 g chorizo (sausage), 50 g each of sweet pepper, celery root, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, leeks and white beans, 6 pcs. cherry tomatoes, 1 l chicken broth, Pesto sauce, salt, a few leaves of dark basil.
Served hot with pesto sauce and fresh basil leaves.
Ingredients: 2 cans of canned beans white color, olive oil, medium onion, 2 garlic cloves, salt, 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, 420 g kale, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, the same amount of red pepper flakes, a pound of chopped tomatoes.
Ready-made Minestrone with beans is served for dinner with grated Parmesan.
Ingredients: 2 pcs. zucchini, squash (2 pcs.), 230 g porcini mushrooms, olive oil, 2 carrots, onion, 3 stalks of celery, 8 cups of chicken broth, 2 cans of white beans (canned), a cup of any pasta, a cup of green beans, a jar tomatoes in own juice, salt, 1/3 small. spoons of turmeric, Parmesan.
Served with thin slices of Parmesan and homemade bread.
Ingredients: 340 g frozen vegetable mix "Mexican" (with carrots, corn, peas, green beans and bell pepper), onion, 90 g small pasta, spices, salt.
After another 5 minutes, the Italian vegetable soup is removed from the stove and left to infuse. It is served for dinner with fresh herbs.
Ingredients: onion, carrot, half zucchini, 3 tbsp. l. chopped green beans, 180 g spinach, canned white beans, 650 ml chicken broth, olive oil, dry garlic, salt.
A ready-made treat is served with finely grated cheese.
Ingredients: 2 liters of vegetable broth, 130 g of white, red and green beans, 2 tomatoes, 4 garlic cloves, onion, 320 g of smoked brisket, 80 g of small pasta, a bunch of fresh basil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, dry aromatic herbs.
The soup is cooked until the pasta is cooked and served at the table.
The best ingredients for this dish are basil, rosemary, oregano and thyme.
For richness, you can add both small pasta and rice to the dish. Fried ham and / or meat, as well as grated cheese will make it even thicker and more appetizing.
Vegetables for Minestrone should simmer very slowly in a pan until soft, so that their taste is revealed to the maximum. To do this, they are fried in olive oil over the slowest fire.
The history of one of the most popular Italian dishes - minestrone soup - goes back centuries. The first mentions are found in the chronicles of the 16th century AD. Among the ingredients are beans - beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, onions, greens and lard. The unpretentiousness of the ingredients of the dish suggests that it was included in the menu of the poor. One of its names, or rather not even names, but the category to which it was assigned, is called cucina povera in Italian, which means “poor kitchen”.
It is impossible to fully answer this question without getting acquainted with its history.
A set of products for making soup did not have a permanent composition. It could change depending on the crops growing in different areas, seasons, crops, and simply on the preferences of the population of different parts of Italy. Of course, herbs were included in the composition to give taste. As a rule, products were not bought, those that grew in the garden and what was left from the last meal were used. Therefore, it is quite fair to call it seasonal.
The food was more often vegetable, but if it happened to get hold of the bones of some edible living creature, it was cooked in almost meat broth. The opportunity to fill the dish with bacon was not missed either.
As the cultures interpenetrated, previously unknown novelties appeared in the recipe. So in the 17-18 centuries, potatoes and tomatoes that spread and became available in Italy were immediately mastered by local housewives and brought into the pan. Naturally, they replenished the folk soup.
In lean years, another Italian ingredient had to be added to the pan - pasta. The experience turned out to be so successful that they are included in the classic recipe soup today. Over time, the list of ingredients has changed (or our information about them has changed), but the principles of cooking from what is in the house and in the garden, using everything that is left from yesterday, have remained unchanged. As a truly folk dish, a real Minestrone, one is a family dinner, therefore, despite the different ingredients, it should be thick, satisfying.
Today, the old dish is included in the menu of various restaurants representing Italian cuisine. They are not neglected by housewives. And each of the chefs has their own, sometimes unique, classic recipe for Italian vegetable minestrone.
Over time, the line-up became legendary. From somewhere, the rule of seven arose - they say, a classic recipe should include 7 different vegetables, 7 types of meat and 7 herbs. The author of this statement was apparently inspired by the similarity of the name with the word "minister". Like, a real ministerial soup should be complex and refined.
The member of the government and the dish have a similar sound, but completely different origins. One comes from the Latin word minister, which means "servant". The second - from the Italian minestra - "soup". The ending one means "big". Minestrone soup translates as a big soup or soup.
In the busy peasant life, it was an unaffordable luxury to cook at one time. For cooking, they used a large pot and cooked for the whole family for several days.
What about the rule of seven in the classic minestrone recipe? Well, think for yourself - in a poor peasant 7 varieties of meat. Nonsense.
But there must be something constant in such a different composition. Yes, these are the principles of its preparation. The products included in it are very finely cut, literally a little larger than a pea. First of all, they are sautéed in olive oil. And in order for the products to be thoroughly saturated with oil, they are cut very finely. In addition, finely chopped ones cook faster.
Now, after a more or less complete understanding, you can proceed to its preparation.
Ingredients:
We noticed that, except for water, everything is indicated in pieces, circles and other units that are not included in international system SI? And where is it seen that the hostess in the kitchen measured something with something else?
Everything is ready? Cleared? Washed? Let's get started.
To begin with, we cut the onion, carrot, pepper (do not forget to remove the seeds), zucchini, and potatoes into small cubes or slices. How small? Look at the polka dots and look at your pinky nail. Here is something in between.
Heat up a frying pan, pour olive oil on it and fry the onion. Slightly, so that it becomes transparent. Then add the carrots, mix and fry until the oil begins to turn slightly yellow.
Then add pepper and celery. If there is too little oil left, add more. Stir and fry for a few more minutes.
Now it's the zucchini's turn. It will give juice during cooking. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer everything for 15-20 minutes.
It's time for the potatoes. It can be fried along with other vegetables, but this time we put it in the pan after the zucchini. Simmer the vegetables, stirring gently, until they soften, and at this time, in another bowl, heat the water or broth to a boil.
Fill the future brew with boiling water. If we want the food to be thick, we will limit ourselves to a minimum of liquid, about 1 liter. If not, add more. Bring to a boil, maintaining low heat. After boiling, pour salt with pepper and herbs. It is advisable to add pepper and herbs to the soup no earlier than 20 minutes before the end of cooking, so that their aroma does not disappear.
We take a tomato, scald it with boiling water and remove the skin from it, cut it into 4-8 parts and send it to the pan together with the peas.
And finally, pasta. When they boil, the soup is ready. We remove the brew from the fire and ... Stop!
A real minestrone should brew for a day, gain a taste. You can, of course, eat it right away, but it's better to be patient, wait until tomorrow and - bon appetit!
I almost forgot. Serve hot, sprinkled with grated parmesan.
The first time we cooked a purely vegetable soup, and now imagine that we managed to get hold of lard. Yes, not just bacon, but with layers of meat - pork belly. If it's salty, let's call it bacon.
We take the same thing as the first time, but now add a slice of bacon the size of a palm or two, as much as there is. Cut it into small pieces. And then we do everything the same as last time with a few changes:
And along with the zucchini, add chopped brisket or bacon.
Let it brew, serve also sprinkled with cheese
We noticed that in the first two recipes, our soup was quite time consuming. Now let's get lazy. We will not fry anything, but immediately start cooking. At the same time, we will replace the peas with beans, and the carrots with pumpkin. Soak the beans the night before in water.
Let's cut the products. Pour the soaked and swollen beans into a saucepan with cold water, wait until it boils, salt and add everything else. Readiness is controlled by beans. And do not forget to let it brew and sprinkle with cheese before serving.
In conclusion, one little secret from the chef: if there is no parmesan, take Dutch or Poshekhonsky cheese, just don't tell anyone to keep the real Italian spirit.
Sometimes it seems that for Italians, minestrone, like borscht for us, is something global, super popular and very soulful. The name itself contains respect for this first course: minestra - soup, ending -one - magnifying. Thus, a large soup is obtained. This means that the dish is quite complex, and consists of a large number of ingredients.
Despite the apparent complexity and the number of different ingredients, this is a light, mostly vegetable soup, to which small soup paste is added, less often rice. Depending on the season, region and mood, the vegetable composition varies widely. Sometimes the soup is prepared with chicken or meat broth, but vegetable soup is much more common.
As a rule, legumes are present in the minestrone - chickpeas or lentils, beans, peas. In addition, the usual soup vegetables - onions and carrots, celery, potatoes, various types of cabbage. Often add peeled tomatoes. Similar soups are known from the times ancient rome, but tomatoes and potatoes got into the soup after the discovery of the New World. Well, most Italian soups, all kinds of greens and sauces based on it, cannot do without this.
Due to the fact that there is no constant and generally accepted recipe for soup, the dish may vary depending on the region. Sometimes the vegetables are taken out of the broth and chopped - the soup is thick like mashed potatoes. More liquid options involve the use of vegetables in the form of pieces of different sizes. In addition, vegetables can be slow sautéed for soup, or used raw.
There are many regional variants of minestrone, which differ in composition and cooking method. For the most part, the differences are in certain ingredients typical of a particular region - pesto, tomato paste, spaghetti, etc.
The basis of the soup is the broth, this is important. A decoction of vegetables or meat broth should be rich and aromatic. Even if the vegetables are not fried before boiling, this is not difficult to achieve if you use a lot of fresh vegetables. Moreover, it is not necessary to use them all in the soup. It is noteworthy that in modern supermarkets, frozen sets of prepared vegetables for soup are sold in abundance.
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