Recipe from The Silver Spoon

Milanese Minestrone

A recipe from The Silver Spoon

Preparation time:  30 min 

Cooking time: 2 hr 50 min

Serves: 4–6 people

Ingredients:

40g / 11/2 oz lardoons or pancetta, diced

1/2 clove garlic  

1/2 onion

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 celery stick

3 tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded and diced

2 carrots, chopped

3 potatoes, chopped

2 courgettes, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

200g / 7 oz (1 ¾ cups) shelled peas

1/2 Savoy cabbage, shredded

100g / 31/2 oz (3/4 cup) fresh shelled borlotti beans

100g / 31/2 oz (1/2 cup) long-grain rice

4 fresh sage leaves, chopped

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped 

Salt

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, to serve

Method:  

Finely chop the lardons with the garlic and onion. When the mixture is quite fine, add the parsley and celery and chop. 


Put the mixture into a saucepan, add the tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, courgettes and oil and pour in 2 litres / 3 ½ pints water. 

Season with salt and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat and cook for at least 2 hours. 

Add the peas, beans and cabbage, simmer for 15 minutes, then add the rice and simmer, stirring occasionally, for a further 18 minutes until it is tender. 

Stir in the herbs, ladle into a soup tureen and serve with plenty of Parmesan.

This minestrone should be fairly thick. It is excellent hot, but it is also good served warm or cold in the summer.