Minestrone d'inverno

Lets get one thing straight, this is not an attractive soup. In fact, it is damned ugly to the eye. But do not allow looks to deceive you- it is beautifully sweet and full of flavour.
There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding as what constitutes “minestrone”.
In Australia people seem to think it’s a tomato flavoured broth with soggy pasta. This is so far removed as to what Italian minestrone is that I find it hilarious. Very simply, you choose the freshest of vegetables in season and simmer them with stock until you have a thick chunky soup. The result will be a delicious vegetable soup in which not one particular vegetable stands out. All the vegetables will be well cooked and almost falling apart, their flavours merging pleasantly.
Minestrone is prepared all year round. The time of year will dictate exactly what goes into the soup. Artichokes, asparagus, broad beans and spinach would go into a springtime minestrone. In summer you would make your minestrone with peas, new waxy potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini and serve it at room temperature with a spoonful of fresh pesto. During autumn you could use chestnuts, fennel, squash and wild mushrooms. And in winter you could try cavolo nero, leeks or savoy cabbage
I must admit I am not a fan of pasta in minestrone. I sometimes include rice (like they do in Lombardia) but this soup is so substantial, I often don’t. If you do decide to add rice, cook it separately and only mix it into the soup as you eat it. This way the rice will remain firm and wont become sodden left hanging around in the leftover soup.
And just one more thing, I have specified proper homemade stock in this receipt. Genuine stock will give the soup a luscious, velvety texture. I am not going to be a “Soup Nazi” and insist you use the real thing. You can use stock cubes- I promise I wont report you to the culinary police!

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
40g unsalted cultured butter
100g pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 red onions
5 carrots, peeled
5 celery stalks, peeled
2 leeks, white parts only
5 potatoes, peeled
½ savoy cabbage
1 bunch silver beet, rinsed and stalks removed
Fresh sage, chopped
2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Fresh stock, enough to cover the vegetables
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Freshly grated Grana Padano, to taste

Method
Chop the vegetables into small cubes (about the same size as the cannellini beans). The cabbage and silver beet should be shredded finely.
In a large soup pot melt the butter with the oil over a low heat.
Begin by gently sautéing the pancetta in the butter and oil.
Add the vegetables to the butter, oil and pancetta in the order listed and sauté each one for a few minutes before adding the next vegetable.
When all the vegetables (except the cannellini) have been gently sautéed in the pot, add the sage, cover with stock and simmer gently for 1- 2 hours.
Add the cannellini and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
You can adjust the consistency to thicken, by pureeing a small amount of the soup, or by adding a touch of water to thin the texture.
Add Grana Padano to taste and check the seasoning. Serve in soup bowls, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and more Grano Padano.
This amount makes a big pot of soup, enough for many serves. You can leave out the pancetta if you are vegetarian. I like to add it because it adds a nice depth of flavour.

Black Cabbage and Cannellini soup

This famous peasant soup is known as Ribollita. It comes from Tuscany. As the title above implies it contains Tuscan cabbage and beans, and is thickened with bread. Traditionally the soup is kept for a few days and it is reboiled each day as you serve it. Hence the name- Ribollita translates to reboiled. I know the list of ingredients looks short and severe. You may wonder about the flavour. But trust me. There is plenty in this simple soup, as long as you use good ingredients. Use fine olive oil and real bread. Do not be tempted to use plastic bread in this. You will only end up with glue soup and it will be revolting. To be honest, I prepared this yesterday because I had a hideous hangover. There isn’t much food I can handle when I feel this way. But this went down very well, with a glass of wine of course (maybe it was a bit more than one).Note-Tuscan cabbage or Cavolo nero is available from organic food shops. It used to be quite pricey a few years ago but now it is relatively inexpensive.

Ingredients
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp of olive oil, to sauté
1 bunch cavolo nero, stems cut off and the leaves chopped (you can substitute silverbeet)
1 can Italian tomatoes, chopped
1 can Italian cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you can use borlotti beans too)
Stock to cover (I used stock powder dissolved in water)
Fresh black pepper
Aprox. 100g stale Italian style bread, crusts removed and cut into 2 cm cubes
Parmesan Cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method
Sauté the onion and olive oil in a large saucepan. Keep the heat really low and cook until the onion has melted down and is beginning to colour around the edges, about 20 minutes.
Now add the cavolo, raise the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
Once the leaves are wilted and turned a brighter shade of green, add the tomatoes with their juice and cover with the stock.
Season with plenty of pepper and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the beans and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool a little. Puree 2 ladles of the soup (in a processor or use a mouli) and return the puree to the remaining soup.
Add the bread to the soup and turn on the heat again. Use a wooden spoon to help break up the bread. It is hard to say how much bread you need. You may need more bread or you may need more water. It is meant to be thick and rough. I like it when the bread almost dissolves, but some cooks like it with the bread still holding its shape. It is up to you. Allow your taste to guide you.
Check the seasoning and the parmesan to taste, off the heat. Serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, more pepper and more cheese.
Enough to feed 2 people with hangovers, plus plenty of leftovers.