Vegetable Soup

Name: Vegetable Soup (Minestrone)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 8 tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion, chopped; a good 250 g (9 oz) prosciutto scraps; 1.7 litres (3 pints) water; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; a total of 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) vegetables, made up of any or all of the following: carrots, celery, courgettes, cauliflower, potatoes, fresh peas, beetroot, garlic, leeks, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, marrow; 1 × 400 g (14 oz) can borlotti beans, drained and rinsed (if you can find fresh, so much the better); 2 small tomatoes, skinned and chopped; 115 g (4 oz) tubettini pasta, fregola (a type of small-grained couscous from Sardinia), or rice; 115 g (4 oz) tubettini pasta, fregola (a type of small-grained couscous from Sardinia), or rice; 115 g (4 oz) tubettini pasta, fregola (a type of small-grained couscous from Sardinia), or rice; salt and pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste; a handful of fresh basil leaves; 4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Minestrone

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

An Invitation to Italian Cooking

By Antonio Carluccio

Published 1986

About

‘The name of this famous soup derives from “minestra”, meaning “soup”. (In many parts of Italy minestra means “green”) It is found all over the country, and all the regions have their own variations, suffixed alla milanese, alla genovese, alla piemontese etc.’

Ingredients

8 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
a good 250 g

Europe
Italy
Genoa
Piedmont
Milan
Starter
Soup
Mediterranean

Method

Normally the soup is prepared with leftover vegetables, so to detail precise ingredients seems a little dictatorial to me! The listing should give you an idea. What is important, though, is to use some Parma ham, the flavour of which is essential to the success of any minestrone. You can ask for bits and pieces of prosciutto from your Italian grocer or delicatessen: for example, the skin, the p