Tuscan Minestrone With Orzo Pasta Food

ITALIAN MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic clove, and pancetta cubes. Sautee on medium heat for a few minutes stirring a couple of times in the process.
• Add potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes, bay leaf, rosemary sprigs and a couple of pinches of salt.
• Give a nice stir and add enough water to cover all the veggies.Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Add more liquid if needed.
• Past this time veggies will become super soft and will "melt" one into another creating delicious creamy texture.
• Once veggies are cooked add chopped savoy cabbage or other leafy greens and drained canned beans. Add more water if needed. Give a nice stir and cook for another 15 minutes.
• As a last step, add pasta or rice. Let cook for 5-15 more minutes depending on how long pasta or rice will take to cook.
• If you're not planning to serve minestrone right away, don't add pasta or rice immediately.Instead, bring the soup to a boil when you're ready to serve it and then add pasta or rice.
• Minestrone is ready to serve when pasta (rice) is cooked. I takes about 5-6 minutes for ditalini pasta and about 15 minutes for rice.
• Serve hot or warm generously topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

TUSCAN MINESTRONE WITH ORZO PASTA

Steps:

• If using dried beans, soak overnight then rinse and cover in water in a deep pan. Add salt. Bring water to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes until still a bit firm but not too soft. Drain but save the bean cooking water.
• Peel the onion and cut into small pieces. Wash and chop the carrots and celery into pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Clean and slice the leeks. Wash and chop the Savoy cabbage and kale. Remove the bottom part of the white stems of the Swiss chard and wash and chop the leaves. Peel and cube the squash. If using fresh tomatoes blanch them in boiling water then peel and chop.
• Fry the carrots, onions and celery in extra virgin olive oil until the onions start to brown slightly. (don't let them burn). Add the tomato paste and tomato passata/or chopped fresh tomatoes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add all the other veggies and sauté together for a couple of minutes. Add the bean cooking water or stock. If the bean cooking water isn't enough add more water or some vegetable stock. You need about 1 litre of liquid in total. Cover and cook for about 50 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more stock or water as required.
• Finally add the beans and the pasta. If using orzo (risoni) it doesn't take very long to cook. Larger pasta types like ditalini will need more time! And maybe more liquid!
• Serve with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or vegetarian cheese.

TUSCAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Place oil in 6 quart saucepan.
• Add beans, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, onion.
• Saute 5 minutes.
• Add water.
• Bring to boil.
• Simmer 1 hour.
• Add leek, carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, tomato sauce, herb blend, and pepper.
• Cook 30 minutes.
• Add zucchini, beans, tomatoes.
• Cook 15 minutes.
• Add orzo and spinach.
• Cook 15 minutes.

MARVELOUS MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil on medium-high in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop. Stir. Coarsely chop the celery and add it to the pot. Stir. Thinly slice the carrots and add them to the pot. Stir. Remove the tough ends of the green beans and cut them in 1/2-inch pieces, adding them to the pot as you cut. Stir.
• Pour the chicken and beef broth into the pot. Add the tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce, cannellini beans with their juice and the orzo. Cover the pot, raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. This will take about 5 to 6 minutes.
• When soup comes to a boil, uncover and stir well. (The orzo sinks to the bottom.) Add the Italian seasoning and garlic. Boil until green beans and pasta are tender, about 9 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove soup from heat and ladle into bowls. Serve at once, garnishing each bowl with 1 tablespoon grated parmesan.