Minestrone Alla Milanese Recipes

MINESTRONE ALLA MILANESE

Steps:

• Heat butter in 6 quart stock pot over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir 6-8 minutes until soft and golden, but not brown.
• Stir in carrots and potato; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add celery, green beans, zucchini, cabbage and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes.
• Add broth, water and tomatoes to pot. Stir in all spices.
• Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to low. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Rinse and drain cannelini beans; add to pot along with pasta. Uncover and cook over medium-low heat 30 minutes until soup thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.

MINESTRONE ALA MILANESE

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight in enough water to keep them covered, then drain them and put them in a giant kettle (2-gallon or larger) with 4 quarts of water. Add the garlic cloves (peeled and put through a press), the onion, and the olive oil. Simmer the beans for about 1 1/2 hours. Choose 3 large potatoes with healthy skins and scrub them thoroughly under running water. Cut them into large pieces, without peeling, and add them to the pot. Slice thickly the carrots and zucchini and add them also, together with the cut string beans and sliced leeks. Season with some salt and pepper, a little chopped parsley, a good pinch of celery seed, some basil, oregano, and a pinch of marjoram. Simmer again for about 45 minutes. Slice thinly half a small head of savoy cabbage and add it to the soup along with the rice. If you can get the large, beautiful rice of the Lombardy region of Italy, you will truly have Minestrone alla Milanese. After adding the rice, simmer the soup another 20 minutes. If it is getting too thick for your taste, add a little more water as needed. About 5 minutes before the soup is ready to serve, add the tomatoes (cut into large wedges), the Parmesan cheese, and a little more fresh parsley. Serve steaming hot with a good whole-grain bread or muffin and more parmesan cheese if desired.

MINESTRONE ALA MILANESE

Steps:

• In a large stock or soup pot, over medium heat, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil.
• Add the onion, leek, celery, carrots, cabbage, green beans & potatoes & stir for 2 minutes.
• Add the prosciutto, zucchini, spinach, tomatoes & tomato sauce & stir for another 2 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil & then simmer, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes.
• Add the rice & beans & simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.
• Remove the soup from the heat.
• In a small skillet, sautè the rosemary and oregano in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 30 seconds.
• Add this to the soup along with the parsley & cheese.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste & serve immediately with a crusty garlic bread.
• Garnish with more grated cheese if desired.

MINESTRA ALLA MILANESE (VEGETABLE SOUP WITH RICE AND SAFFRON)

Steps:

• Bring the stock to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan. Add the green beans and saffron. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Pour in the uncooked rice and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and carrots. If you are using fresh peas, add them now. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the zucchini, romaine and frozen peas. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the zucchini are barely tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately in heated soup plates with grated cheese on the side.