Cook This Ep 2: How to make Minestrone Soup
Minestrone Soup with Basil Pesto & Parmesan Crisp
Serves: 4
Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 X 400g can diced tomatoes
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
- 1 large brown onion, peeled & diced
- 2 carrots, peeled & diced
- 2 celery sticks with leaves, diced
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
- ¼ cup cannelloni beans, soaked in water & drained
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 3 small or 2 large zucchini, chopped
- ¼ cup small macaroni or risoni
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh continental parsley
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Basil pesto, purchase a good quality ready to serve
- Grated Parmesan
Method:
Place the tomatoes, potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, oregano and beans in a large saucepan. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium and cook, almost covered, for 30 minutes.
Add the zucchini and macaroni, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the zucchini and pasta is tender.
Stir in the parsley and taste and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls, serve with a dollop of pesto and grated parmesan to garnish. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
Extra serving suggestions:
- To add extra depth of flavour add some meaty speck lardons
Stock can be used for risotto, lentils and sauces, it also freezers well
To make Basil Pesto:
- 1½ cups firmly-packed basil leaves
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup olive oil
- 60g parmesan cheese, finely grated
Place basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Process (scraping down sides occasionally) until almost smooth. With the motor running, add oil in a slow and steady stream. Process until all oil is combined.
Transfer pesto to a bowl. Add parmesan.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
To make the Parmesan Crisp:
Grate Grana Padano on a micro plan. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Using an 8cm scone cutter, place on the paper and sprinkle the cheese to cover the base inside the cutter, gently lift off and repeat the process, making the required amount of crisps.
Place in pre-heated oven 180°C for 2-3 minutes or till golden, remove from the oven allow to cool on the tray.
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Minestrone Soup Recipe - Italian Vegetable and Pasta Soup
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Chef Stefano Manfredi’s take on a classic rice and bean minestrone will tantalise your tastebuds with its superb flavour and mouth-watering aroma.
Moroccan Harira Soup - Amazing Pasta, Lentil, Chickpea Soup! - Food Wishes
I am very happy to show you my take on what I'm told is Morocco's most popular soup – and once you taste it you'll understand why, since the combination of pasta, lentils, and chickpeas is so hearty, so flavorful, and so satisfying, this is without a doubt one of the best soups you'll ever eat. Enjoy!
For the fully formatted, printable, written recipe, follow this link:
To become a Member of Food Wishes, and read Chef John’s in-depth article about Moroccan Harira Soup, follow this link:
You can also find more of Chef John’s content on Allrecipes:
Recipe: Gordan Ramsay's Cod Minestrone
Gordon Ramsay teaches us his secret to cooking an excellent cod minestrone.
Ingredients:
• 1 fillet of cod, skin removed
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• ½ tsp of dried chili flakes
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 cup of pearl barley, washed under cold water & drained
• 1 x 400 gram can of whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 ½ cups of water
• 1 ½ tsp of sea salt
• 1/3 cup of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• ½ cup of roughly chopped celery leaves
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for grating
Method:
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat. Saute the onion, carrots, celery and chili flakes until softened, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle on about 1/4 tsp of sea salt.
Add the barley, canned tomatoes and water to the pot and stir well. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and stir. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the barley softens and expands. You may need to add a little more water as the barley soaks it up.
Add half of the parsley to the pot and the remaining salt. Stir well. Place the cod fillet gently on top of the barley and vegetables in the soup pot. Cover and let the cod cook/steam for about 6 or 7 minutes.
Use tongs to the remove the cod from the pot and transfer it to a plate. Use a fork to flake the cod. It may be a little opaque but this is ok as it will keep cooking once you put it back in the pot.
Place flaked cod, remaining parsley and celery leaves in the pot. Stir well with a wooden spoon and add a little more water if necessary. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
Divide soup into serving bowls and grate on some Parmesan cheese. Serve.
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