I like to round out our weekends with a comforting home-cooked meal. It's usually something fun, something pretty easy, and something light. Case in point, this Sunday evening, the chilly weather and miles of walking from Bay to Breakers (more about that on another post) inspired a piping hot bowl of soup.
One of my favorites is a simple minestrone. Every time I make it, it's a little bit different, but that's one of the things I like about the recipe - it's really versatile. Tonight, leeks were in the mix (instead of onion, for its cleansing properties), brocollini (leftover from last week's grocery run), cannellini beans (they're so smooth and delicious), and the basic trio of carrots-celery-tomato. Throw in a few basil leaves for freshness, italian sausage for flavor, and some parmaggiano for richness, and that's it!
I like to chop up some extra basil for the brightness of color - sprinkled in right before we eat. I usually make B a side of boiled pasta, which he throws into the soup to help fill him up.
Veggies, vitamins, and warmth. My idea of winding down the weekend.
(tonight, soup was served with a simple side of ripe slicer tomatoes and good mozzarella! mMm!)
Here's the recipe, in case you want to try it for yourself!
Minestrone Medleyadapted multiple times over 1 leek, white parts sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 bunch of brocollini, sliced to size
1/2 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cluster tomatoes, sliced to size
2 italian sausages, or protein of choice, sliced (chicken works great too!)
3 stalks of basil (about 12 leaves worth), sliced into strips
(other options are cabbage or spinach)
Vegetable or chicken broth, about 4 cups
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Parmaggiano Reggiano, grated
Short pasta (bow ties, penne, macaroni), if you feel like more filling
1. Heat up olive oil in your soup pot and saute the italian sausages until brown. Saute the leek until clear, and then add carrots and celery to soften them up.
2. Add broth to the pot so that all ingredients are submerged. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Lower heat and add brocollini, beans, tomatoes and half of the basil. I usually add these later because they don't take as long to cook and you don't want them too mushy. Simmer for another 20 minutes. If you are using pasta, boil your pasta to liking (I usually do it slightly less than al dente, since it gets soft in the soup) so you can add it to the soup later.
4. Taste your soup and if needed, add salt and pepper.
5. Spoon into large bowls (add pasta), sprinkle remaining basil, and parmaggiano.reggiano, to finish dressing the soup.
6. Slurp. MMm!
