Just plain vegetable soup, but all green, and with a modicum of Italian seasonings. And good Parmigiano cheese on top.
When I got home from my road trip a week ago, I didn’t crave salads (my usual lament) because I’d had lots of salads on the trip. What I craved was soup. And vegetables. Eating out almost 3 meals a day (a couple of times Cherrie and I had an ice cream cone for lunch when we’d had an ample breakfast) you learn soon enough that most restaurants don’t serve vegetables. A few here and there, but mostly restaurants serve carbs along with protein. We ordered a side veg a couple of times (to share) and often Cherrie and I shared an entire meal (a salad and entrée both) which worked really well. We enjoyed dessert just a couple of times, aside from the aforementioned ice cream cone treat we had twice.
So, once home, a trip to the store gave me all the makings of a green minestrone, a soup I’ve been wanting to make forever.
This soup – I had it once, in northern Italy, at least 25 years ago. I’d gotten a bout of food poisoning, actually, and was really quite sick (from some fresh mozzarella at a roadside diner). I visited a pharmacy and they’d given me something which helped, but they confirmed my food poisoning diagnosis and suggested it would take about 2 weeks to work itself through. About 10 days later, we got to Northern Italy, and I finally thought I could tolerate some soup, and the waiter suggested their green minestrone. Oh my, was it ever delicious. Except for 7-up, toast and yogurt, I’d hardly eaten a thing, so maybe it was my frame of mind, or just that I was feeling slightly better. That soup – that glorious fresh green taste – has stayed with me all these years. I’d researched green minestrone recipes some years back and found a couple, and just hadn’t gotten around to trying either of them. Until now.
As is usually the case, when I start making soup, I improvise. I used the recipe only as a guide to add my vegetables of choice. Maybe this soup should be titled Green and White Minestrone, because there are lots of white ingredients in it (onion, nearly white carrots, fennel and the mostly white leeks).
One thing that’s unique in this recipe is the addition of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rinds. You save those, don’t you? I have about 2 years’ worth of them in my cheese bin (probably better to freeze them, but I might never find them again if I did that), and two of them went into this soup. Once they’ve expended their lovely essence to the soup, you scoop them out and throw them away.
I tried to time the vegetables so they’d all be perfectly cooked through (barely). Generally it worked – if you are so inclined, remove the vegetables when they’re nearly done, then add the others, until you have everything to the perfect point of done-ness, then add them back in just long enough to warm through. There’s a little bit of pasta in this soup – you can add however much you’d like. I guessed mostly at the quantities of each item. I like the frozen peas to be bright green – they add a nice fillip to the top of the soup – I always add them almost like a garnish. If you rinse them under the hot water tap, they’ll all defrost and be warmed through.
Once you’ve scooped portions into bowls, add the hot peas, the minced parsley, the grated cheese, and lastly a little drizzle of EVOO. Perfecto!
What’s GOOD: well, if the flavor wasn’t good, I wouldn’t be posting it – I loved all the green veggies, and the broth was extra special because of the Parmesan rinds in it. Just remember – a vegetable-laden soup will be only as good as the broth you cook it in. I use Penzey’s chicken broth concentrate, which I think has tons of good flavor. Altogether good soup. Even though it’s still like summer here in SoCal, I gulped down the hot soup and savored every bite. I love the toppings too.
What’s NOT: hmmm. Lots of chopping and mincing, I suppose, but get someone to help and it’ll be done in no time.
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Green Minestrone
Recipe By: Loosely based on several online recipes for this kind of green minestrone
Serving Size: 8
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large leeks — white and pale-green parts only, chopped
2 large fennel bulbs — finely chopped
1/2 large yellow onion — finely chopped
2 celery stalks — thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds zucchini — trimmed, diced
1/2 pound brussels sprouts — cleaned, quartered
12 ounces fresh asparagus — trimmed, chopped
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Parmesan rinds — (for flavoring)
2 small carrots — use yellow, if possible
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano — crushed in your palms
1/2 cup pasta — your choice (small)
1 cup frozen peas — defrosted
1 1/2 cups Italian parsley — (lightly packed) very finely minced
Shaved Parmesan (for serving), use ample
A drizzle of EVOO on top
1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook leek, fennel, yellow onion, and celery, stirring occasionally, until softened but not taking on any color, about 5 minutes. Add broth and Parmesan rinds, then add the dried oregano, brussels sprouts, zucchini and carrots; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are not quite tender, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and pasta and cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Taste vegetables to make sure all are tender; season well with salt and pepper. Remove Parmesan rinds and discard. Rinse the frozen peas under hot water and add to the soup, just long enough to warm them.
3. Taste soup for seasoning, scoop 1 1/2 cups per bowl and garnish with fresh parsley and lots of grated Parmesan. Then drizzle the top of the soup with EVOO.
Per Serving: 172 Calories; 6g Fat (24.9% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 117mg Sodium.
Toffeeapple
said on September 23rd, 2017:
I like the sound of that – apart from the zucchini!
I never buy Parmesan since it is sold in large portions and I have no way to store it long term; but I think I would use a small amount of blue cheese which would also make the soup a little creamy.
I buy a wedge of Parm every few months. I wrap it in a paper towel, tightly, then in a plastic bag. It usually keeps for 2-3 months that way. I do use it enough for that period of time. And when I’m done I save those rinds. You can also freeze it, Toni. . . carolyn t
Toffeeapple
said on September 27th, 2017:
I still have no freezer! Perhaps I shall try your method of refrigerating it.
Wrap in foil first, then put them in a plastic baggie. Oh – never mind, you were thinking of the cheese itself. Which yes, I do just refrigerate it. Seems to be fine . . c