Friday, April 23, 2010

Italiano! - quick minestrone soup


This is my version of minestrone soup made simple, without all the pfaffing about. It's all about the vegetables and the bacon in this dish. I don't even use garlic but I'm sure you could add a clove if you wanted to try it. It's simple ingredients, cooked simply in around 30 mins.The bacon, when cooked over a high temperature, imparts such a lovely smokiness through the soup when added near the end. Enjoy it with some crusty bread or just on it's own.

The list of stuff:
1 red onion diced
2 carrots, peeled, halved and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 potatoes, diced (peeled if needed)
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 litre chicken stock
2/3 cup angel hair pasta
175g packet of bacon

Heat some oil in a large pot and add all the vegetables. Gently fry for 5 mins. Add stock, tin of tomatoes and bring to the boil. Now turn down heat and simmer for 20 mins. Add pasta and simmer for another 6 mins. Now chop your bacon, however you like and fry over a high heat in a seperate frypan, either in its own fat or in a little butter. If you are going to freeze the soup, do not add the bacon. Just add the beans and let the soup cool, then freeze. If you are serving straight away. Add the bacon and the beans to the soup and heat through for 2 minutes. Serves 4.

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