Minestrone Soup (Modena Style)

Submitted by Galley Wench

"NOTICE: PLEASE OPEN EDIT TO SEE THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF INGREDIENTS. This thick hearty vegetable and bean soup gets it intensity from pancetta, an unsmoked seasoned bacon available in Italian food stores. If necessary substitute lean slab bacon, but first simmer it in water to cover for 5 minutes, then drain, pat dry and chop. Or, for a vegetarian soup, omit the pancetta. Because the vinegar is stirred in at the end, use the best brand you can find."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 1 yellow onion, coursely chopped
• 1 celery rib, with leave cut into 1/4 in thick slices
• 1 carrot, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 firmly packed cups shredded savoy cabbage (or spinach, fresh or frozen)
• 1 (16 ounce) can peeled chopped tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 3⁄4 1 3/4 cups chicken broth or 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add the following ingredients in the order given, cooking 1 minute before adding the next; onion, celery, carrot, zucchini, garlic and cabbage.
4. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer over high heat.
5. Stir in the water, broth, red wine, salt,thyme,cloves and pepper.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, approximately 1 hour. Stir in the beans and cook for 5 minutes just until heated through.
8. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
9. Serve hot.

Reviews

[Leggy Peggy]

Fabulous soup. I agree with Dr. Jenny -- the red wine and balsamic vinegar flavours are pronounced. The clove is obvious, too. I used top-of-the-line balsamic, and added a pinch of basil, green beans, snow peas, lima beans and a sprinkling of parmesan. Yummo!

 

[Kabwe Cook]

I thought the combination of vegetables was really good. I LOVED the red wine. However, the soup lost my interest after adding the vinegar. I will definitely make this again, but I will leave out the balsalmic. I think I might also add extra onion and garlic. Thanks!

 

[Dr. Jenny]

I really enjoyed this minestrone soup! I made a big pot for lunch today and have plenty left over to send with DH to work tomorrow and to enjoy myself. This is a very different minestrone soup. If you are a fan of red wine and balsamic vinegar, then this is the soup for you, as both tastes are very pronounced in the dish. Hence, Galleywench's advice to use a good balsamic is well-founded. While you have to wait a while for the soup to simmer, the dish is not difficult to prepare at all. The only changes I made was to use Napa cabbage instead of savoy (I couldnt find savoy at my store), doubled the garlic, and my can of chopped tomatoes was Italian style (so it had herbs) and it was only 14.5 oz. Therefore, I added in a handful of fresh chopped grape tomatoes to make up the difference. Then, I couldn't resist adding a little grated parmesan cheese to my individual soup bowl. Yum! This was a delicious way for me to get in all my veggies (I especially loved the zucchini in this dish) and I liked the subtle flavor of the pancetta. Thanks so much for posting. I would definitely make this soup again. Made for ZWT4.