Sort of Lidia Bastianich's Minestrone

Yall all know the saying, " this is not your father's _____ " whatever, well this IS your grand mothers way of cooking! This is an old old school, very traditional Italian vegetable soup, Minestrone, using some cooking techniques that I had not used before. Always good to learn new things. This is Lidia's recipe, I had some little zucchinis and a yellow pepper, so included them. A MOST forgiving soup, leave out or add what ever too this and it will work.

1 cup dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained ( use the whole bag )
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into pieces
4 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled ( I added a little more )
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (12 ounces)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 quarts water
2 fresh bay leaves
1 large carrot, chopped - I added more of all the vegetables
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small head Savoy cabbage, cored and shredded (about 8 cups) ( just use the whole head )
1 bunch Swiss chard, shredded
2 tablespoons salt
8 ounces ditalini ( I did not add the pasta, low carb- but had it on the side

.


This is Lidia's recipe, I had some small zucchinis and a yellow pepper so I just added them. This is a most forgiving soup, leave out or add in and I'm sure it would still work.

In a food processor, combine pancetta, garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil and pulse to make a fine-textured paste or ‘pestata’. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, scrape in the pestata. Cook, stirring, until pestata renders its fat, about 4 minutes.

Add the onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Toss in the potatoes, and cook until they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, another 3 minutes. Push aside the vegetables to make a dry “hot spot” in the center of the pan, and plop the tomato paste into the space, toasting it on all sides for a minute or two. Return the vegetables to the center of the pan, and stir the toasted paste into them. Pour in the water, along with the bay leaves, carrot, celery, and soaked cannellini. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook until beans are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Add the zucchini, cabbage, chard and salt. Cover and cook until beans and vegetables are tender and soup is flavorful, about 45 minutes more.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the ditalini al dente. Just before serving, scoop up the ditalini and add to the soup. 

I had never used this method before... works great - and the only meat in the dish, not sure how you could make it vegan

This is a great tip - the toasting of the tomato paste , really adds flavor

 I love a water based soup.

VERY GOOD SOUP!