Minnestrone--an actual recipe

My friend mentioned the other day that she enjoys this blog but hasn't tried any of the dishes because I tend to be a little inexact with the details. She's right, of course. "Grate cheese until your arm falls off" isn't very instructional.

It's only that I think people's belief that they must do everything exactly as the recipe says is what makes them afraid to cook. Some would disagree with me, but in my view there is nothing sacred about a recipe. The fun is in substituting, combining, and streamlining recipes so that the dish matches your needs and not the other way around. Part of my hope in starting this blog was to talk about foods that are healthful, easy to make, and utilize ingredients you may have lying around. The only way people will start taking better care of their bodies through what they eat is if food is convenient and satisfying. I think we all love Chicken Mole, but the real deal calls for three kinds of chiles and real Mexican chocolate. If you are planning to make it, please invite me over, but alas, I will not be making it for myself anytime soon.

So, here is a real recipe, complete with measurements, for Minestrone. The word means "big soup" in Italian, and it is hearty enough to make a meal all by itself. I may be violating sacred Italian law by varying the ingredients, but I don't really care. I needed to clean out the crisper and had no meat on hand, so this one's vegetarian.

Home Food Minestrone

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
5 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp thyme
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (organic really are better)
splash red wine or sherry
1 quart broth (vegetable, beef, or chicken would work)
1 can white or romano beans
3/4 cup gemelli pasta (you could use any small-ish style--I just love the shape of this one).
7 large leaves red swiss chard, deribbed and shredded
3/4 cup frozen peas

Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Heat until it become fragrant, about a minute. Add chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become transparent. These three aromatic vegetables give a lot of flavor to the soup, so don't rush this step.

Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and garlic over the vegetables and stir. You may need to turn down the heat slightly--it's ok if onions are sticking, but you don't want them to burn. Cook about 1 minute (your kitchen is going to start smelling heavenly at this point). Splash in enough wine or sherry to coat the bottom of the pan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the stuck-on bits that are full of flavor. This is called deglazing and makes a huge difference (both for the recipe and for when you have to clean the pan later).

Add broth and beans. You may need to add some water as well, if the soup seems too thick. You'll have to eyeball this one. Just remember that if you add too much, it's ok--you can boil it off. And if you add too little, you can always add more later. Bring to a boil and turn down heat. Simmer ten minutes.

Bring back to a boil and add pasta. Cook at this temperature until pasta is done. Then turn the heat back to low. Add the swiss chard (powerfully nutritious stuff) and peas and give it one final stir. The heat of the broth will cook the peas almost instantly, even if they came right out of the freezer. Add more salt or pepper as needed, and serve with grated parmesan and a loaf of crusty bread. Yum!

How'd I do, Evi?