Nonna’s Minestrone Soup
Thanks to Ray for contributing his family recipe for
Nonna's Minstrone Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 ham hocks or beef shanks
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 Quarts of water or chicken stock
- 2-3 leeks diced
- 5 Italian zucchini
- 1 ½ cups of split peas
- 1 cup of cranberry (seasonal) or white beans
- 1 doz. Italian green beans quartered
- 3 stalks of celery
- 2 carrots
- 3 large potatoes diced – after cooking a while,
extract and mash 2/3 of potatoes
- 1 can 28 oz. of mixed stewed tomatoes (San Marzano recommended)
- ½ cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup of pasta of choice
- 2 tbs of basil pesto (added at the end)
- Salt and pepper to taste
NOTE: all vegetables should be cut to the size where
they will fit into a teaspoon
Preparation:
- Sauté garlic in virgin olive oil
- Add ham hocks and boil in broth for about 30
minutes under medium heat
- Render liquid and trim meat off ham hocks and
return to liquid
- Pour in the stewed tomato mixture
- Add all ingredients except pasta and pesto
- Cook partially covered over a simmer for 2-3
hours
- Add pasta in last 20 minutes
- Once finished, mix in fresh pesto sauce
- Serve with garlic bread
What wine would you serve with this dish? Take the poll to the
right.
Find more recipes of the month and pairing suggestions. Recipes of the Month
Recommended Cookbooks
These cookbooks can be purchased through Amazon. Click
on the link for each title.
Sopranos
Family Cookbook
You would think that this book is just a gimmick because it is based on the "Sopranos" HBO
series. But this cookbook is just fabulous. If you want to cook authentic Italian
food this is the cookbook you need. The photos of the Sopranos characters are
very funny.
Webber
Book of Grilling
If you cook any barbecue meals, use this one not only for
recipes but for reference on cooking times and cooking methods
on the grill.
Mustards
Grill Napa Valley Cookbook and Big
Small Plates by Cindy Pawlcyn
We love going to Cindy Pawlcyn's restaurants in the Napa Valley and we have two
of her cookbooks: We use the recipes in these books when we are entertaining
guests.
Food
Matters by Mark Bittman
We subscribe to New York Times Mark Bittman's podcast "The Minimalist" and
have enjoyed his quick, easy, and delicious recipes. "Food Matters" is
about healthy cooking and Mark's recipes hit the mark for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner.
Cooking
School Secrets by Linda Carucci
Every now and then we pull this book off our shelf and read one of Linda Carucci's
chapters. There are several tips in the books that are insider secrets chefs
know like a special cooking technique or that one ingredient that will make
the big difference in a dish.
Perfect
Pairings: A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice - Wine with
Food
By Evan Goldstein
Can you guess what we like about this cookbook? Yes, the very fact that each
meal is matched with a wine. I wish more cookbooks did this.
Joanne
Weir DVD Cooking Recipes
We watch Joanne Weir on PBS but it's great to have the DVD sets to get the
recipes and watch her techniques. Both being former teachers, we appreciate
good teaching when we see it. This video series is essentially one big cooking
class and inexpensive when you consider how much a real cooking class costs.
Made
in Spain by Jose Andres
Spanish cuisine is the latest rage and rightly so. Spanish foods are so flavorful
and terrific with wines. Jose Andres has a PBS program and this cookbook is
based on that program. Cook the cuisine of the various regions of Spain.
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