It’s always a good time to make minestrone. But it’s important to make it with seasonal vegetables.
Is minestrone a soup?
We can define it as a vegetable soup, but in reality it’s far more than that because minestrone is versatile and can become whatever you want it to be. Some people love it natural, with just a drizzle of oil and no legumes, some add grains, some add flavor with aromatic herbs and spices, some add pasta, some eat it cold and some eat it hot with a slice of toasted bread at the bottom of the dish. Basically, a well-made minestrone always allows for variety. It’s the ideal dish after a few days of culinary indulgence, to make you feel a little healthier. And it’s also a comfort food when you want a hot light meal at the end of the day.
Recipe for minestrone
There isn’t just one recipe for minestrone because, as we said before, the vegetables used change with the seasons. For a winter minestrone, use collard, pumpkin, broccoli and savoy cabbage. Whereas for summer use as much green beans, tomato and basil as you like. The base always consists of a mirepoix of celery, carrots and onions, then everything else is added with water. You can also make a separate mirepoix with pancetta or bacon, to add even more flavor, and this is added partway through cooking. Make sure to add green leafy vegetables like spinach and chard, or even zucchini, potatoes and a little tomato to add some color. Pulses should be soaked for 10-12 hours first, then cooked with everything else, or partly cooked separately and then added at the end.
The minestrone should cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the vegetables have released all their flavor and are tender. If there are also pulses, extend the cooking time to one to two hours. Grains and pasta can also be added to the minestrone just before the end of the cooking time, loosening everything with a bit of water and bringing it to the boil. If you are using a pressure cooker, cooking times are obviously reduced.