Mussel Minestrone Recipes

MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a stockpot, saute the onions, celery and parsley in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cabbage, carrots, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. , In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir into soup along with the zucchini, beans and pasta. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables and pasta are tender. Top each serving with cheese.

QUICK AND EASY MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, rosemary and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to darken in color, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until the paste is smooth and incorporated into the liquid.
• Add the whole can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid), and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the pasta, the white beans and reserved liquid and the soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the pasta is al dente, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring in the green beans during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Serve in individual bowls with a little oil drizzled on top.

MUSSEL MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and when it starts to bubble, stir in the diced vegetables with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, but not yet taking on any colour.
• Stir in the curry powder and cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the bay leaf, white wine, stock and water. Turn the heat up to bring the soup to the boil, then turn the heat down and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, to reduce the liquid by a third.
• When you're ready to eat, turn the heat up to high again, bring the soup to the boil and stir in the drained mussels, discarding any that are still open and do not close when you tap them. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and discard any that have remained closed. Remove the mussels from their shells and return the meat to the soup.
• Ladle the minestrone into warmed bowls. Stir half of the parsley through the yogurt, and serve with the toasted sourdough topped with mango chutney, butter and the remaining parsley.

JAMIE'S MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. If desired add red wine at this point. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.
• Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.
• Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through place 2 tablespoons cooked pasta into individual serving bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Spray with olive oil and serve.

CLASSIC MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots, celery, red-pepper flakes, rosemary, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add tomatoes; cook until some of the liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Add potato, cabbage, cannellini beans, and 7 cups water; bring to a boil. Stir in green beans.
• Reduce to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; stir in garlic, if using, and basil. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan and, if using, torn basil. Drizzle with more oil, if desired.

RACH'S MINESTRONE IS A CLASSIC

Steps:

• Cover the dry beans with water and soak them overnight
• Or, cover them with boiling water and soak for 1 hour then rinse and drain
• (For even quicker cooking, substitute canned beans and just add them to the soup along with tomatoes and stock
• ) Place soaked beans in a 6- to 8-quart pot and cover them with 3 inches of water
• Add bay and halved onion, and bring to full boil
• Salt water liberally and cook beans to tender, about 45 minutes
• Let cool in their liquid, which will be about 2 cups once cooked
• Heat a large Dutch oven or 8-quart soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and pancetta
• Render 3-5 minutes then add chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic; season with salt and pepper
• Sweat veggies 15 minutes, stirring occasionally then add potatoes and zucchini or other vegetable of choice, and season with salt
• Partially cover and soften 15-20 minutes more
• Wilt in escarole or kale
• In a small saucepan, add porcini mushrooms and stock just to cover, about 2 cups
• Simmer until the porcinis are softened, about 15 minutes
• Add herbs, tomatoes, remaining stock and cheese rind, and simmer a minimum of 1 hour and ideally 2 hours
• Add porcini and stock, leaving any grit behind, along with the beans and their liquid
• Cool 5 minutes and remove herb bundle, bay leaf and rind
• Serve in shallow bowls topped with a fat drizzle of good EVOO and some grated cheese
• Pass crusty bread at the table for mopping

MUSSEL MARINIERE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. In a pot large enough to accommodate the mussels heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and gently cook shallots, celery and tablespoons parsley for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the mussels and raise the heat. When the steam starts to escape, shake the pot, keeping the cover tightly on to rotate mussels inside. Let them cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mussels open. Meanwhile, place the pasta in the boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Drain and portion out. Discard mussels that remain closed. Set the open mussels, in their shells, over pasta. Pour the mussel cooking liquid through a fine strainer into a saucepan. Reduce quickly and slightly. Whisk in remaining two tablespoons of butter and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over mussels and pasta.

CONTEST-WINNING EASY MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute the carrots, celery and onion in oil and butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, cabbage, basil, parsley, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add macaroni; cook, uncovered, 6-8 minutes or until macaroni and vegetables are tender., Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with cheese. Freeze option: Before adding cheese, freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth or water if necessary.

TRADITIONAL MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in nonstick Dutch oven.
• Add onion, garlic and salt.
• Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
• Add celery, carrot, green beans and seasonings.
• Cover and cook overy very low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add bell pepper, water and spaghetti sauce.
• Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
• Add beans and simmer another 5 minutes.
• Bring to a gentle boil.
• Add pasta.
• Stir and cook until pasta is done.
• Serve topped with parsley and parmesan.