MINESTRONE

This makes a very large pot of soup, but it freezes well so is good to have as a standby. Serve with a dollop of pesto or salsa verde, crusty sourdough bread, hard cheese and a glass of red wine and you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Rome.

 This soup has been on my family menu for going on 40 years! My youngest daughters, identical twins, while not picky eaters, were fussy about  soup when they were young. One would only eat minestrone, the other vegetable.  Needless to say I fed them soup from the one pot! They never did catch me out! Sorry girls………

3 best quality pork and fennel seed sausages removed from their casings, meat crumbled

1 onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1 parsnip peeled and diced

1 turnip, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, destrung and diced

1 large potato, scrubbed and diced

1/2 sweet potato, peeled and diced

Small wedge pumpkin, peeled and diced

Kernels from 1 cob of corn

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

2 large silverbeet leaves, chopped

Handful green beans cut into 1 cm lengths

1 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 400g can cannelini beans

2 tablespoons tomato concentrate

3 litres of stock

1/2 cup small pasta shells

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the sausage meat, all the chopped vegetables, the canned tomatoes and beans, the stock and tomato concentrate in a very large pot. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the pasta shells and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Cool, then skim the fat from the surface, reheat and serve.

Makes approx 4 litres

About ladyredspecs

I live in sunny Brisbane, Australia. My love of good food drives me as a cook, a reader, a traveller, an artist and but mostly as an eater. I cooked professionally for many years but have no formal training. Simply guided by a love of eating good food, respect for ingredients and an abhorrence of artificial additives, I cook instinctively applying the technical know how acquired by experience. I hope you enjoy what I share Sandra AKA ladyredspecs

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3 comments on “MINESTRONE”

1. Pingback: Smoky Ham Hock and Vegetable Soup « Please Pass the Recipe

2. Pingback: The people behind this project… « Please Pass the Recipe

3. ye-mek

   May 11, 2012

   

   Great recipe with awsome photos… We like it.

   LikeLike

   Reply

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