Minestrone and The Art of Soup
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I have yet another confession to make (they say it's good for the soul…):
I'm out of control when it comes to making soup.
I know, on an intellectual level, how to make an appropriate amount of soup.
I can tell some one else how to make an appropriate amount of soup.
I just can't do it.
And mon mari is an enabler!
Oh I can make small quantities of simple soups for first courses. It's the big, full meal soups that I have a problem with.
It started innocently enough, shortly after we were married.
I decided to make soup. I got out my 5 quart soup pot and started making whatever stock I needed for the base. Sometimes that meant cooking a chicken or some beef bones; sometimes not. It might be beans, lentils or split peas.
I chopped and added the 'base' vegetables: onions, celery, carrots.
Then, as usual, I started to think about what other vegetables should go into that particular soup: Potatoes? Cabbage? Rutabagas? Courgette? Tomatoes? And so on…
I chopped and added and stirred.
Then, as usual, I looked in the fridge and the pantry to see what else would be good.
I chopped and added and stirred.
When the pot was so full I could no longer stir, and there was still a pile of vegetables on the counter, not to mention the meat, and all the final herbs and seasonings, I realized I had a problem. I put some of the soup into a 4 quart pan and continued on, stirring and switching and blending.
For my birthday mon mari gave me an 8 quart soup pot.
The next time I made soup I was determined to prove him wrong.
I could control my urges.
I could make soup and bring it to completion in under 5 quarts.
I devised my plan; calculated my ingredients; weighed the options; and carefully made soup. Mon mari watched.
Halfway through I conceded defeat and dumped the contents of the 5 qt pot into the 8 qt pot.
Did you know that there isn't a whole lot of difference between 5 qts and 8 qts?
Yes, that's right….before I finished I had to put some of the soup into yet another pot.
For Christmas mon mari gave me a 12 qt pot. He said, with a smirk, that it was for stock…
We also bought a freezer.
Guess what I did last week? Yep, I made soup. I had to. I had cabbage!
Cabbage, that much-maligned but always useful crucifer, is my vegetable of choice for this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, founded by a very busy Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and hosted this week by Vanessa of What Geek's Eat (who is now living in my home state).
The last time I bought a cabbage was in June (they last a long time…) and I'll just quote myself:
Everyone is always touting the the benefits of
broccoli and Brussels Sprouts, but what about cabbage? According to the Worlds
Healthiest Foods 'new research is revealing that phytonutrients in
crucifers, such as cabbage, work at a much deeper level. These compounds
actually signal our genes to increase production of enzymes involved in
detoxification, the cleansing process through which our bodies eliminate harmful
compounds.'
Cabbage is an integral ingredient in many soups, including this famous Italian one with as many recipes as cooks!
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Minestrone, Traditional There is a smaller, faster version using canned beans here.
2 cups dried kidney beans, (16oz, 500gr) I used 1 cup white and 1 cup red, but all of either is fine
8 cups water
1 medium onion, (6 oz, 180gr)
4 – 5 carrots (8 oz, 250gr)
2 – 3 stalks celery (6 oz, 180gr)
3 cloves garlic
3 cups cabbage (8 oz, 250gr)
4 oz (125gr) spinach I had some in the fridge
2 cans whole tomatoes (15 oz, 450gr)
6 oz (180gr) Prosciutto, thickly or thinly sliced or other dry-cured 'country' ham,
6 oz (180gr) regular, baked or deli ham also known as 'city' ham
4 cups chicken stock
5 – 6 cups water
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
spaghetti, 4 oz (100gr), a 'circle' about 1" (2.5 cm) in diameter
Soaking the beans, 6 hours before: Sort through beans, discarding any stones (never found any) or damaged beans. Put beans in soup pot or Dutch oven (5 qt capacity), add 8 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. This should take about 20 minutes. When just starting to simmer turn off heat and let sit for 3 hours.
Cooking the beans, 3 hours before: Drain and lightly rinse the beans. Do NOT use the cooking water. Put beans back in the pot, add chicken stock and water. Roughly chop the Prosciutto and add to the pot. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 90 minutes. Do not let it boil hard – this could cause the beans to break-up.
Making the soup, 90 minutes before: Uncover the soup and turn heat to medium. Mince garlic and add to pot. Chop carrots, celery and onions; add each to pot as you finish chopping. Chop cabbage and add to pot. Drain tomatoes, reserving juices and roughly chop; add to stock along with juices. Cut regular ham into bite-size pieces and add to pot. Add herbs to pot. Cover and let soup return to simmer.
Finishing the soup, 20 minutes before: Add the spinach to the pot – roughly chopping if large leaves. Break spaghetti into 3" (7.5cm) lengths and add to pot. Cover and let finish, stirring from time to time.
What's that you say? You still have cabbage left?
How about some brown rice and cabbage Egg Fu Yung?
Yes, you read that correctly. Told you it was versatile. Here's the recipe.
When one buys a cabbage one must be prepared!
Be sure to stop by What Geek's Eat on Monday when Vanessa will have a round-up of all of the week's herbie and veggie recipes!
Do pots come larger than 12qt?
Just wondering 🙂
OMG what a great post! I can just imagine you looking perplexed at a pile of vegs on the counter and three pots of soup on the stove! I love soup, but living alone, it tends to get tedious to finish if i make it in large quantities (my freezer=not so big…) Glad that your husband is “enabling” such a healthy habit and encourages your endeavors. 😉
What a darling, original post! Unfortunately, my family (read:daughters) doesn’t appreciate it when I make huge soups. So I stay under control.
Katie, It sounds like you are out of control and might need a cauldron pretty soon haha. Good thing soup freezes well, eh?
Pille, I suppose I could use my canning/bottling kettle – on the outdoor burner…
swissmiss, thank god mon mari eats lots of soup, too!
Betty, I keep telling myself that lesser quantities means more varieties… I don’t listen to me well!
Maryann, pleeease, don’t suggest that too loudly…
First, I must say your serving bowl is so nice!!!! Ah soup, who can make just a tiny bit of soup? Soup is such good food and I thought today – I am going to just start eating soup for lunch everyday. But then I started thinking – which soups? Now I have your soup as the first on my list. Looks great Katie and I love the addition of a bit of pasta!
You funny thing! I imagine you with a huge, bubbling vat of soup…then am instantly reminded that I too am guilty of over-doing it size-wise! Lovely use of cabbage.
I have no problem with leftover and army-sized soup recipes. They are better the next day and yours being a Minestrone would be thicker from the pasta absorbing liquid….yum!
Oh, Katie, I’m in that boat or is it soup pot with you. Main dish soups do get out of control. I always set out to make just a small pot and the next thing I know I’m dragging out the big guns.
My Minestrone uses a head of cabbage, goes in the pot almost first thing and becomes the thickening agent in the soup at the end as there are no real traces of it.
Katie, I am the same way. Soup just seems to grow and grow and grow! But it does make the very best leftovers!
I’m with you, Katie. Making soup is so comforting to me. I love how easy they are to make, how good they always smell, and how plentiful they are (providing many lunches each week!). I say keep making soup!
Minestrone is my favorite soup of the western cuisine. I want to start making some soup after my move!!!!
So glad I stopped by. I have two or three whole cabbages, two half cabbages (red and white), and two wedges of cabbage. It’s taking over! I guess it’s soup this weekend.
We have passed the soup season, but I believe I still enjoy your minestrone!
So funny! I read it out loud to my husband and we chuckled together. How great that you have such a supportive husband. Or is he an enabler? I’d love to make your delicious looking soup, but I only have a commercial size stock pot. Probably not big enough.
will I see your cooking marathon on cabbage after your zucchini? But hey, I love it!
i love minestrone, in fact, i just love any kind of chopped vegetable soup. one funny thing is that my kids think that soup is always accompanied with noodles. even when i put spaghetti in it, they still think they’re noodles. well, i don’t blame them. it’s the asian part which is taking part here hehehe… lovely post, kate. i enjoyed it. cheers.
A smaller, faster minestrone? No no no! Soup is something to be savored, both in the eating and in the making. Like you, my pots keep getting bigger, but my soup keeps getting better, and some time in the middle of winter I will open the freezer and find all of the containers of wonderful soup stacked in there, and it will make me happy.
You are so funny. I used to have that problem but lately I’m doing a little better at making reasonable sizes. Love the sound of this soup. I’m very fond of soup with cabbage.
Me too, me too, I always end up making huge soups. But luckily, we are a family of soup lovers. And cabbage? Yumyum!
Deb, that’s the only think I like about winter – soup for lunch!
Lucy, that’s me…double, double, toil and trouble….
Peter, thankfully better the next day…and the next…and the next
Tanna, I’m going to have to try that – kind of the same effect as freezing but faster 😉
Pam, It’s impossible to keep under control…I keep telling mon mari…
Maggie,that’s too many cabbages, I think…definitely time for soup!
Susan, the smells in the house are the best part (almost)
Tigerfish – good luck on the move!
Lynn, he is a soup enabler! Do you have 2 pots?
Anh, you can save the thought for your next winter.
Gattina, I have a hard time doing things in small quantities.
Arfi, but soup IS sipposed to have noodles…
Lydia, I agree, it like having your personal supermarket… It’s hard to make a small GOOD soup! I keep telling mon mari…
Kalyn, I keep trying. I keep relapsing!
Meredith, soup is good food (to quote an old Campbell’s commercial)
Kate this looks great. I have been on a soup kick as well. It is funny the way my food cravings really change with the weather!
Jerry, I know what you mean; as soon as the weather turn the soup kettle comes out! Thanks!