Minestra



A good pot of Minestrone is so easy, fresh and good that the Romans – who originated the soup – called it minestra, or literally 'that which is served.'  Which meant a 'throw together' daily soup that included fillers such as faro, chickpeas, or fava beans with "onions, garlic, lard, and greens thrown in."  The recipe I had in front of me included Canadian Bacon, and one of our favorite batches of all-time comes out of Tyler Florence's "Ultimate" cookbook, called "Hunter's Minestrone," and includes tube style short rigatoni and pork sausage, among a variety of other fresh ingredients.  But the idea is this: you don't need to follow any recipe in particular, but simply start with a soup base of good chicken stock (I love this gelatin condensed chicken stock),

some extra water, a pinch of tomato paste for zing, some herbs, then start piling in whatever fresh veggies you might have on hand: carrots, green beans, celery, a diced tomato.

I tossed in chickpeas and shell pasta and the end result was a twenty-minute, hearty soup that carries that crispness that only fresh – not canned – veggies can give you.  So yummy a fifteen year old might even eat it.