Minestrone

Minestrone is Italian for vegetable soup. Each region has its own recipe for minestrone, but most use onions, tomatoes, zucchini, beans and celery. The vegetables are cooked for 2 to 3 hours so their flavours are completely blended. In some recipes, grated parmesan or spoonfuls of pesto are added at the end of cooking. In the south of Italy, the soup is thickened with pasta; in the north, rice is used. Although minestrone can be served as a starter, it is so thick and filling that a bowl usually constitutes a meal in itself.