The most famous Italian soup is Minestrone. It is served both in inexpensive cafes and eateries, and in gourmet restaurants throughout Italy. They also prepare it at home. And every cook, every housewife has her own Minestrone recipe. It can be compared with our borscht or shchi - in every house the dish has its own taste.
Yet there are some features inherent in Minestrone soup. So, it always includes a lot of different vegetables. These vegetables are always seasonal, so there is no single, common, “correct” composition - you need to choose those gifts of nature that are available at this time of the year. Cut vegetables finely - into small cubes, the size of a pea. Soup is prepared by slowly frying vegetables over low heat, so that the taste is rich and the vegetables are tender.
Minestrone soup is easy diet dish very tasty both hot and cold. You can make it more satisfying or more warming. For example, add some chili peppers to it, and chop some of the vegetables in the finished Minestrone in a blender to make the soup thick. In addition, you can add some pasta or rice to it, as well as smoked bacon and cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 large tomato
- 1 carrot
- 1 bulb
- 1 sweet pepper
- half a zucchini
- a third of an eggplant
- 4 tbsp. spoons of green peas
- 0.5 liters of tomato juice
- 4 garlic cloves
- a mixture of Italian herbs, salt, pepper - to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
- fresh herbs for serving
How to make Minestrone Soup
First, finely chop the onion and garlic.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic over low heat.
Dice carrots and de-seeded bell peppers.
When the onions and garlic become translucent, add chopped carrots and peppers to them.
Cook vegetables for 3-4 minutes. During this time, cut the zucchini into small cubes and send it to the pan.
Now start slicing the eggplant and tomato.
Add the chopped vegetables to the skillet.
Stir and simmer vegetables for 5-7 minutes. During this time, the tomato will release juice and the vegetables will languish.
Then transfer the vegetables to a saucepan and pour them with tomato juice.
Bring the soup to the consistency you like with water. Salt, pepper the dish and season it with herbs.
Regardless of whether you love Italian cuisine or treat it very calmly, once in your life you should definitely try cooking a real Italian vegetable soup - Minestrone.
Minestrone is very popular in Italy
Firstly, this is a beautiful dish, with a beautiful name and a stunningly beautiful taste. Secondly, there are ONLY 210 kcal in a bowl of this soup, despite the fact that its benefits for the body and figure are practically invaluable! And in general, your loved one must finally admit that healthy eating- it's not "Beeeeeee ...".
Minestrone is a very popular dish in Italy. Those who have been to Europe must have noticed that Europeans have a completely different attitude to soups than we Russians. If Europeans want something thin and hot, they order regular meat broth. And all the so-called European soups are sort of like not soups, but rather mashed vegetables. Minestrone is no exception. This is such a rich, mashed and slightly liquid stew from a large number vegetables.
By the way, there are really a lot of vegetables in the classic version of the soup - at least ten different types. Add to this meat, bacon or poultry broth, cheese dressing, pesto sauce and be sure not to forget the pasta. Get not soup - soup!!! But this is how the name of the soup is translated from Italian. What can I say, original...
If you set yourself the goal of getting the taste of the same as in Italy, then relax. The fact is that in each region the “boot” of Minestrone is cooked in its own way. Just like ours - borscht or okroshka. Therefore, feel free to experiment with the composition. The main thing is to follow the general rules:
1. Vegetables need to be fried, and then stewed over a SLOW fire, slowly. Be patient and free up time. For everything about everything you will need 1.5-2 hours.
2. Vegetables should be taken seasonal. Don't chase "chemical" bell pepper in the middle of winter, but replace it with something more useful.
3. Some legumes should be present in the soup - peas, chickpeas, beans. Of course, fresh, green ones are better.
4. Some of the vegetables in the soup should be mashed, some should be hard.
5. We add pasta or pasta only durum varieties, otherwise all the usefulness is down the drain.
6. Do not skimp on greens - basil, parsley - the more the better.
7. Minestrone should be thick. The more variety of vegetables you use, the better. Let not 10, but 7 or 8 species should be present.
The recipe for Italian Minestrone soup, which you will read below, does not claim to be the only true one. However, it will serve as a guide for you in your own research. So let's start.
To prepare six servings of soup, we need:
- 1 small zucchini;
- 1 large or 2 small onions;
- 2 medium potatoes;
- 1 carrot;
- 2-3 tomatoes;
- 2 sweet bell peppers, as many colors as possible;
- 50-60 gr. durum wheat pasta or small pasta;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 250gr. green beans
- 20g. any hard cheese;
- 100 ml. olive oil;
- 1.2 liters of water;
- greens (basil, parsley, oregano, etc.) and spices (salt, black, red pepper, chili pepper, pesto sauce) to taste;
Cooking delicious Italian vegetable soup
The preparation of Italian Minestrone soup begins with the preparation of vegetables: they must be thoroughly washed in running water and cleaned of skins, stalks, and seeds. If the zucchini is young, you can not remove the skin from it, otherwise it is better to peel it all the same so that there are no solid particles in the finished soup. Zucchini, potatoes, carrots, onions cut into small cubes of the same size. Soak beans (if dry) in water. Sweet bell pepper cut into thin and small strips.
We take a pan with a thick bottom, a cauldron, a saucepan or a deep frying pan and heat 3 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil. The oil must not boil! We send carrots and onions to the heated oil. Fry them over low heat for about five minutes, until the onion becomes translucent.
Next, we send bell pepper and finely chopped garlic to the onions and carrots, let them fry for another five minutes. Then pour 4 more tablespoons of olive oil into the pan and add the zucchini. Stir the soup mixture thoroughly from time to time and simmer the vegetables for fifteen minutes over the same low heat.
Peeled tomatoes and beans are sent last to the pan. They need to be allowed to fry for nothing: five minutes.
After all the vegetables are fried, pour cold water into the container and put on fire. We wait until the water boils, and then throw in the potatoes. Now we wait 20 minutes until the potatoes are thoroughly boiled, and the soup acquires a rich taste. We turn off the fire.
We take out some of the cooked vegetables from the container with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate to cool. Those vegetables that remained in the pan must be carefully chopped with a blender.
We return the postponed vegetables to their place, and put our bowl of soup back on the fire and boil. We throw the pasta into boiling water, boil it until half cooked, add spices, boil for another 1-2 minutes and turn off the heat.
Congratulations - your Italian Minestrone soup is ready! Do not forget to decorate it with cheese and herbs before serving.
Did you hear the phrase as a child: “If you don’t eat soup, there won’t be any sweets”? And, indeed, only with age comes an understanding of how important first courses are in the diet of each person. Imagine that in some regions of Italy, for example, in (Veneto), more soups are eaten than. There are a number of different, original recipes. Although the Italian interpretation of liquid food is somewhat different from what we are used to, it is definitely worth a try. Our article will tell you the right stop in a rather long list of soups. For your convenience, we have listed them in alphabetical order.
Acquacotta is a traditional soup from the Maremma region. Initially, it was considered peasant food. His recipe was invented to use stale bread.
The first versions of the dish consisted of water, stale bread, onions, tomatoes and olive oil. Modern versions contain many more components. So, the most common recipe in (Toscana), in addition to historical ingredients, involves the use of celery, carrots, basil, grated cheese and eggs. Acquacotta con funghi is complemented with porcini mushrooms, wild mint and garlic. Acquacotta con peperoni is distinguished by the presence of red pepper.
Banyun
Banyun (Bagnun) is a soup that was born in the province (Genova) as food for fishermen. Its name literally translates as "bathroom". The recipe for the dish has not changed much since the 19th century. Key Ingredients: Fresh anchovies, fried onions, peeled tomatoes, olive oil, and biscuits (or toasted bread).
Buridda is a seafood soup typical of Ligurian cuisine. Locals call buridda not only the first course, but also stew with fish.
The basis of the soup is the meat of different types of fish (cod, sea eel, shark). It is cut into small pieces and boiled in a small amount of liquid with olive oil, pine nuts, mushrooms, capers and parsley. Recently, cooks use the meat of cuttlefish, octopus, mullet, monkfish. The recipe is also supplemented with onions, tomatoes, white wine, green peas and potatoes. Buridda with dried fish is called buridda di stoccafisso.
Gallura
Soup Gallura (Zuppa gallurese) is a traditional soup of the northern part (Sardegna). Its second name is suppa cu. To prepare gallura, stale bread is soaked in meat broth and laid out in layers in a mold. At the same time, alternate it and complete the styling with pecorino cheese. Flavor the dish with parsley, mint, nutmeg or cinnamon. Oddly enough, but the soup is baked in the oven for about an hour until a crispy cheese crust appears.
Invented as food for the poor, today gallura is a frequent guest at wedding and holiday tables.
Soup is traditionally prepared in earthenware bowls, mostly in the spring when the harvest is due, as most of the ingredients are of vegetable origin.
Ginestrata is a slightly spicy egg soup originating in northern Tuscany. For the domestic consumer, the recipe for this first course will be a great surprise. Its main ingredients are: egg yolks, chicken broth, marsala wine or white wine, butter, nutmeg and sugar. Sometimes ginestrata is supplemented with cinnamon. The subtlety of its preparation lies in the fact that the heating process is completed as soon as the mass becomes thick. Some cooks sprinkle the dish with sugar and nutmeg just before serving.
Zuppa imperiale or Imperial soup (Zuppa imperiale) is the first dish typical of the region (Emilia-Romagna). Its main ingredient is pasta cubes consisting of semolina, parmesan, eggs and butter. They are pre-baked in the oven, and then dipped in boiling broth for a few minutes. Some cooks add mortadella and bread crumbs to the soup. Serve Zuppa imperiale hot, sprinkled with nutmeg.
Cacciucco is a soup of fish meat, shellfish and crustaceans traditional for the city of Livorno. It is complemented with tomatoes and croutons. traditional recipe provides for as many as 13 species of marine life: sepia, octopus, shark, conger eel, moray eel, gurnard, sea bass, sultan, goby, bavosa, stone perch, lobster and horse mackerel. Currently, chefs are limited to 6 or 7 options. Sometimes red wine is added to cacucco (contrary to the culinary tradition to combine fish only with white drinks).
In Livorno they are very proud of their first course, and every year in April the Cachukco festival is held.
Maccu is a Sicilian soup, the main ingredients of which are chopped beans, seeds with sprigs of dill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Sometimes in addition it includes tomatoes, onions and pasta. Some varieties of soup do not contain whole beans, but bean puree. Today makku is rarely found in kitchens (Sicilia), but it is still served in restaurants.
Minestra di noci (Minestra di noci) is a nutty soup typical of the cuisine (Piedonte). It is prepared more often on the basis of meat broth. In the soup put not only whole or chopped walnuts but also nut puree. Of the additional ingredients, butter, pumpkin, lemon juice, salt, pepper and spices.
Minestra di nights is a very high-calorie and hearty dish, so it is prepared more often during the winter months.
Minestra di ceci is a soup made with chickpeas as the main ingredient. The base of the dish is olive oil, garlic, onions, carrots and celery. Additionally, cod, artichokes, tomatoes, chestnuts, potatoes, pasta, cabbage can be added to it. In Italy, it is called "winter soup" because its warm and delicate taste is ideal for cold evenings.
(Minestrone) - a thick soup with vegetables with the addition of pasta or rice. There is no standard set of ingredients for minestrone, as in Italy it is prepared with seasonal vegetables. It can be vegetarian and also include meat or meat broth. Although some chefs claim that authentic Minestrone is cooked only with bean broth.
The soup recipe varies by region. But some ingredients are present in it almost unchanged. These include: beans, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, and stock.
panada
Panada is a bread soup from northeastern Italy and Sardinia. It is bread boiled to a state of porridge in water or broth. It is complemented with eggs and grated cheese. In the republic, panada is common in poor areas of the countryside. It is often prepared for the elderly and sick people.
Pappa al pomodoro is the first dish that was born as the food of the Tuscan poor. The name literally translates as "tomato pulp". Its main ingredients are stale bread, tomatoes, cloves, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. The soup can be served hot or chilled.
Passatelli is one of the classic soups of the Emilia-Romagna region. To prepare it, a mixture of bread, parmesan, eggs and seasonings is passed through a press, getting a kind of "spaghetti". They are then boiled in chicken or fish broth. In some parts of Italy, lemon and nutmeg are added to it.
Pasta e fagioli is a soup whose name literally translates as "pasta and beans", which speaks for itself. Like many favorite Italian dishes, it appeared in a peasant environment. Today it can be found in the most expensive restaurants.
The recipe for pasta e fagioli varies from region to region, but the main ingredients are the same: pasta and beans. To taste, it is supplemented with olive oil, garlic, onions, celery, carrots, stewed tomatoes or tomato paste. The non-vegetarian version contains meat (more often pancetta).
Ribollita is a rich Tuscan stew made from bread and vegetables. Like many vegetable soups, ribollita becomes more delicious after each reheating. It was first invented by the peasants, heating together the remains of minestrone and vegetable soup. Hence the name of the dish, which literally translates as "reboiling". It is based on breadcrumbs, beans, cabbage and inexpensive vegetables such as carrots, celery, potatoes and onions.
In Italy, ribollita is considered a winter soup. Traditionally, it is cooked in a wood-fired oven in earthenware.
Stracciatella is a meat broth-based soup popular in the region (Lazio). In Italy, it is better known as Starachtella alla Romana (Stracciatella alla romana). To prepare it, beaten eggs are mixed with grated parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon zest and sometimes semolina. The resulting mass is gradually added to the boiling meat broth. After mixing in the soup, small plates of the cheese-egg mixture are formed. Hence the name of the soup, which literally translates as "shreds".
Before serving, stracciatella is garnished with toasted bread and grated parmesan. Some chefs flavor the dish with marjoram.
Sciusceddu is a traditional Easter soup in Italy. It is based on meatballs and eggs. Secondary ingredients include broth, cheeses or parsley, salt and pepper. Shusheddu is quite dense and high-calorie, so it is often consumed separately, as a quick lunch option.
Undoubtedly, this is far from full list Italian soup options Because even in small towns there are secrets of cooking first courses. And although they are far from those soups that we are used to seeing at dinner, their taste is another attraction of Italy.
The history of one of the most popular Italian dishes - minestrone soup - goes back centuries. The first mentions are found in the chronicles of the 16th century AD. Among the ingredients are beans - beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, onions, greens and lard. The unpretentiousness of the ingredients of the dish suggests that it was included in the menu of the poor. One of its names, or rather not even names, but the category to which it was assigned, is called cucina povera in Italian, which means “poor kitchen”.
What is Minestrone Soup
It is impossible to fully answer this question without getting acquainted with its history.
A set of products for making soup did not have a permanent composition. It could change depending on crops growing in different areas, seasons, crops, and simply on the preferences of the population. different parts Italy. Of course, herbs were included in the composition to give taste. As a rule, products were not bought, those that grew in the garden and what was left from the last meal were used. Therefore, it is quite fair to call it seasonal.
The food was more often vegetable, but if it happened to get hold of the bones of some edible living creature, it was cooked in almost meat broth. The opportunity to fill the dish with bacon was not missed either.
As the cultures interpenetrated, previously unknown novelties appeared in the recipe. So in the 17-18 centuries, potatoes and tomatoes that spread and became available in Italy were immediately mastered by local housewives and brought into the pan. Naturally, they replenished the folk soup.
In lean years, another Italian ingredient had to be added to the pan - pasta. The experience was so successful that they are included in the classic soup recipe today. Over time, the list of ingredients has changed (or our information about them has changed), but the principles of cooking from what is in the house and in the garden, using everything that is left from yesterday, have remained unchanged. As a truly folk dish, a real Minestrone, one makes up a family dinner, therefore, despite different ingredients, should be thick, satisfying.
What is Minestrone today
Today, the old dish is included in the menu of various restaurants representing Italian cuisine. They are not neglected by housewives. And each of the chefs has their own, sometimes unique, classic recipe for Italian vegetable minestrone.
Over time, the line-up became legendary. From somewhere, the rule of seven arose - they say, a classic recipe should include 7 different vegetables, 7 types of meat and 7 herbs. The author of this statement was apparently inspired by the similarity of the name with the word "minister". Like, a real ministerial soup should be complex and refined.
The member of the government and the dish have a similar sound, but completely different origins. One comes from the Latin word minister, which means "servant". The second - from the Italian minestra - "soup". The ending one means "big". Minestrone soup translates as a big soup or soup.
In the busy peasant life, it was an unaffordable luxury to cook at one time. For cooking, they used a large pot and cooked for the whole family for several days.
And the rule of seven classic recipe minestrone? Well, think for yourself - in a poor peasant 7 varieties of meat. Nonsense.
But there must be something constant in such a different composition. Yes, these are the principles of its preparation. The products included in it are very finely cut, literally a little larger than a pea. First of all, they are sautéed in olive oil. And in order for the products to be thoroughly saturated with oil, they are cut very finely. In addition, finely chopped ones cook faster.
Minestrone Soup Recipes
Now, after a more or less complete understanding, you can proceed to its preparation.
The classic Minestrone recipe
Ingredients:
- One large onion;
- One large carrot;
- One young squash;
- Two large potatoes;
- One large tomato;
- Green peas - 1/3 cup;
- A couple of cloves of garlic;
- A couple of stalks of celery;
- Some curly pasta - zhmenyu;
- Water 1-1.5 liters;
- Parmesan cheese - slice.
Have you noticed that, apart from water, everything is indicated in pieces, circles and other units that are not included in the international SI system? And where is it seen that the hostess in the kitchen measured something with something else?
Everything is ready? Cleared? Washed? Let's get started.
To begin with, we cut the onion, carrot, pepper (do not forget to remove the seeds), zucchini, and potatoes into small cubes or slices. How small? Look at the polka dots and look at your pinky nail. Here is something in between.
Heat up a frying pan, pour olive oil on it and fry the onion. Slightly, so that it becomes transparent. Then add the carrots, mix and fry until the oil begins to turn slightly yellow.
Then add pepper and celery. If there is too little oil left, add more. Stir and fry for a few more minutes.
Now it's the zucchini's turn. It will give juice during cooking. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer everything for 15-20 minutes.
It's time for the potatoes. It can be fried along with other vegetables, but this time we put it in the pan after the zucchini. Simmer the vegetables, stirring gently, until they soften, and at this time, in another bowl, heat the water or broth to a boil.
Fill the future brew with boiling water. If we want the food to be thick, we will limit ourselves to a minimum of liquid, about 1 liter. If not, add more. Bring to a boil, maintaining low heat. After boiling, pour salt with pepper and herbs. It is advisable to add pepper and herbs to the soup no earlier than 20 minutes before the end of cooking, so that their aroma does not disappear.
We take a tomato, scald it with boiling water and remove the skin from it, cut it into 4-8 parts and send it to the pan together with the peas.
And finally, pasta. When they boil, the soup is ready. We remove the brew from the fire and ... Stop!
A real minestrone should brew for a day, gain a taste. You can, of course, eat it right away, but it's better to be patient, wait until tomorrow and - bon appetit!
I almost forgot. Serve hot, sprinkled with grated parmesan.
We also offer you to get acquainted with the video on the preparation of the Italian soup Minestrone
Minestrone with bacon.
The first time we cooked a purely vegetable soup, and now imagine that we managed to get hold of lard. Yes, not just bacon, but with layers of meat - pork belly. If it's salty, let's call it bacon.
- One onion;
- one carrot;
- One sweet (Bulgarian) pepper;
- One young squash;
- Two large potatoes;
- One tomato;
- Green peas - a third of a cup;
- A couple of cloves of garlic;
- A couple of stalks of celery;
- Water or, if available, vegetable broth 1-1.5 liters;
- Salt, black and fragrant ground pepper, olive oil for frying - to taste;
- Bacon - 200 gr.
We take the same thing as the first time, but now add a slice of bacon the size of a palm or two, as much as there is. Cut it into small pieces. And then we do everything the same as last time with a few changes:
And along with the zucchini, add chopped brisket or bacon.
Let it brew, serve also sprinkled with cheese
Minestrone Italian Vegetable Soup - Recipe
We noticed that in the first two recipes, our soup was quite time consuming. Now let's get lazy. We will not fry anything, but immediately start cooking. At the same time, we will replace the peas with beans, and the carrots with pumpkin. Soak the beans the night before in water.
- One large onion;
- One large carrot;
- One sweet (Bulgarian) pepper;
- One young squash;
- Two large potatoes;
- One large tomato;
- Peas - 1/3 cup;
- A couple of cloves of garlic;
- A couple of stalks of celery;
- Vegetable broth 1-1.5 liters;
- Salt, black and allspice ground pepper, olive oil for frying - to taste;
- Parmesan cheese - slice.
Let's cut the products. Pour the soaked and swollen beans into a saucepan with cold water, wait until it boils, salt and add everything else. Readiness is controlled by beans. And do not forget to let it brew and sprinkle with cheese before serving.
In conclusion, one little secret from the chef: if there is no parmesan, take Dutch or Poshekhonsky cheese, just don't tell anyone to keep the real Italian spirit.
Minestrone
Minestrone- classic Italian soup with fresh seasonal vegetables: potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, sweet peppers, zucchini, different types of cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower), tomatoes, asparagus, pumpkin... The more vegetables, the better! In addition, legumes (more often beans) are added to the minestrone. The very word " minestrone” from Italian can be translated as “hovel”. And indeed, this is a rich, thick, tasty and unusually beautiful soup, thanks to colorful vegetables.
MINESTRONE RECIPE
NECESSARY:
½ tsp dry rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves
1 fennel
1 celery stalk (large)
1 PC. onion
400 g white beans (washed, canned or pre-cooked)
100 g cauliflower florets
100 g broccoli
1 bell pepper
100 g pumpkin
2 carrots
200-250 g medium zucchini
100 g tomatoes
Salt, black pepper, dry oregano, garlic oil, pesto sauce, fresh basil to taste
HOW TO COOK:
1. Saute rosemary, thyme and garlic in olive oil in a saucepan.
2. cut carrots, onion, fennel, celery on a medium cube. Add to the same saucepan, simmer. Remove the garlic after 1-2 minutes. Throw in all the other vegetables cut into the same medium cube: zucchini, bell peppers, pumpkin, asparagus, tomatoes and sorted into inflorescences: broccoli and cauliflower.
3. Salt, pepper. Add some dried oregano. Simmer everything together for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour boiled water - about 2 liters. The main thing is not to overdo it with water, the soup should be thick and rich.
5. Bring to a boil and leave to boil for a few minutes so that the broth is fully saturated with vegetable aroma. Add white beans. Let it boil. While stirring, you need to make sure that the vegetables are not digested, so adjust the cooking time.
6. Part of the soup, about 1/3, pour into a separate saucepan and pierce with a blender. Mix both parts of the soup. Then the density Minestrone the right one will turn out - a real "deep land".
7. Cover the boiling soup with a lid, remove from heat, and let it brew for 30 minutes.
8. Add a little garlic butter for spice.
9. Serve hot. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with thinly sliced basil leaves and drizzle with Genoese pesto.