Winter Minestrone With Cauliflower And Cabbage Food

CABBAGE MINESTRONE WITH CHICK PEAS

Steps:

• Drain the chick peas and set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is fragrant and the vegetables tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or so, until the garlic begins to smell fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit. Add the cabbage, stir together for a minute, then add the drained chick peas, 2 quarts water, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour, or until the beans are just about tender.
• Add the remaining garlic and salt to taste, cover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes to an hour, until the beans are thoroughly cooked and the soup very fragrant. Add a cup more water if it seems too thick. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
• Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked al dente, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve, passing the Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

WINTER MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato; saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the broth in a processor until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan cheese rind to the vegetable mixture. Simmer until the potato pieces are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans and parsley. Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Discard Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig (the leaves will have fallen off of the stem.)
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

MINESTRONE SOUP

Steps:

• Put a large shallow casserole pan on a medium-high heat.
• Finely slice the bacon, if using, and sprinkle into the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring occasionally while you prep your veg.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion, adding the garlic to the pan with the bay leaves as soon as the bacon turns golden, followed by the onions.
• Trim and chop the carrots and celery into rough 1cm dice, adding to the pan as you go. Remove and finely chop any tough stalks from your greens and add to the pan. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly, or until softened and caramelised.
• Crumble in the stock cube, pour in the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon, then add 1 tin's worth of water.
• Pour in the beans, juice and all, then add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
• Shred your greens and sprinkle into the pan, top up with 600ml of boiling kettle water, then add the pasta. Cover and leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pasta is just cooked and the soup has thickened to your liking.
• Season the soup to perfection, then serve it with a grating of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. A sprinkling of fresh baby basil leaves will always be delicious, if you've got them, and my kids enjoy it with a dollop of pesto on top, too.

ONE-PAN BRATS AND CABBAGE

Steps:

• Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and heat until shimmering.
• Carefully place the brats in the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Add apple juice and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the skillet and cook until the sausages are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Remove the sausages and set aside, leaving any cooking liquids in the skillet.
• Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and browned slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the coleslaw mix, apple cider vinegar, caraway seeds and red pepper flakes, then season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the coleslaw is wilted, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the sliced apples and let cook until warmed through, another 2 minutes.
• Return the cooked sausages to the skillet and serve.

WHITE CABBAGE AND BEAN MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Rinse the beans and soak for 8 hours or overnight covered in several inches of cold water. Drain and rinse, then place in a medium saucepan. Add 4 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are just tender. Drain and set aside along with the cooking liquid.
• Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few seconds, then swirl around to coat the pan. Toss in the onion, carrot, celery and parsley, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in half the garlic and cook for another minute or so, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until they have reduced a bit. Stir in the cabbage, then add the beans, the reserved cooking liquid, vegetable stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1/2 hour.
• Add the remaining garlic and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the beans are soft. Now add the pasta and cook until done, 10 minutes or to desired teeth. Remove the soup from heat, discard the bay leaf, and season with salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper to taste.
• Meanwhile, toast the bread and add slices to the bottoms of wide shallow flat-bottomed soup or pasta bowls. Ladle the soup over the toast, scatter fresh grated Parmesan cheese over top, and serve immediately.

WINTER MINESTRONE WITH CAULIFLOWER AND CABBAGE

Steps:

• 1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium- high heat. Add the bacon/ pancetta, onion and sauté until the bacon/ pancetta is browned, about 2-3 minutes.
• 2. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, basil and stock. If using, add knuckle of beef. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to very slow but steady simmer. Cook , covered, for 1 1/2 hours, uncovering every 20 to 30 minutes to stir.
• 3. Add beans, potatoes, carrots, celery and cabbage. Cook covered 30 minutes more.
• 4. Add cauliflower, rice/barley, fresh peasand cook, covered until vegetables are tender, 20 minutes. If using frozen peas, do not add them until last 5 minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper
• 5. Turn off heat and allow soup to mellow, anout 15 minutes. Stir in half the grated cheese, then ladelphia soup into warmed bowls and serve, pass remaining cheese.
• 6. If using beef knuckle, shred witf fork and add to soup