The History of Minestrone Soup



The History of Minestrone Soup

Minestrone means ...."Big Soup" to Italians and means a soup with lots of goodies in it , especially pasta, Beans and vegetables.

The word however originated from Minestra which means to dish up or serve.

The Italians often eat a light soup as a first course, or as a bigger soup as a light evening meal.

The other interesting thing is that Italians often eat a hot soup on a hot day ..as they find that it actually makes them feel cooler.

Minestrone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Minestrone (< Italian minestra 'soup' + -one (augmentative suffix)) is the name for a variety of thick Italian soups made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.

There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth (such as chicken stock). The word "minestrone" has become a synonym for "hodgepodge".

Minestrone is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine, and is probably more widely dispersed and eaten throughout Italy than pasta.

Minestrone originally was a very humble dish and was intended for everyday consumption, being filling and cheap, and would likely have been the main course of a meal. Minestrone is part of what is known in Italy as cucina povera (literally "poor kitchen") meaning poorer people's cuisine.

Due to its unique origins and the absence of a fixed recipe, minestrone is not particularly similar across Italy: it varies depending on traditional cooking times, ingredients, and season. Minestrone ranges from a thick and dense texture with very boiled-down vegetables, to a more brothy soup with large quantities of diced and lightly-cooked vegetables that may include meats.

Like many Italian dishes, minestrone was probably originally not a dish made for its own sake, though this point is argued. In other words, whereas one might set about killing a rabbit, with the intention of then eating cooked rabbit, one did not gather the ingredients of minestrone with the intention of making minestrone. The ingredients were pooled from ingredients of other dishes, often side dishes or "contorni" plus whatever was left over.

As eating habits and ingredients changed in Italy, so did minestrone. The Roman army is said to have marched on minestrone and pasta fagioli (or beans and pasta), the former making use of local and seasonal ingredients, the latter due to the longevity of dried goods.[citation needed]

The introduction of new ingredients from the Americas in the Middle Ages, including tomatoes and potatoes, also changed the soup to the point that tomatoes are now considered a staple ingredient (though the quantity used varies from northern to southern Italy).

There are two schools of thought on when the recipe for minestrone became more formalized. One argues that in the 1600s and 1700s minestrone emerged as a soup using exclusively fresh vegetables and was made for its own sake (meaning it no longer relied on left-overs), while the other school of thought argues that the dish had always been prepared exclusively with fresh vegetables for its own sake since pre-Roman times, but the name minestrone lost its meaning of being made with left-overs and came to be associated with the dish in the 18th and 19th centuries. The earliest attestation of the modern use of minestrone dates to the 18th and 19th centuries.[citation needed]

In the modern era, the ready availability and long storage life of canned stocks and broths means that more minestrone is based on stock or broth than water. The availability of newer, more unusual vegetables from the Americas (such as the many varieties of squash) or Asia means some minestrone now include non-European vegetables, though this is frowned upon by purists.

There are three Italian words corresponding to the English word 'soup': zuppa, which is used in the sense of tomato soup, or fish soup; minestra, which is used in the sense of a more substantial soup such as a vegetable soup, and also for 'dry' soups, namely pasta dishes; and minestrone, which means a very substantial or large soup, though the meaning has now come to be associated with this particular dish.

Minestrone Soup Recipe

1/4 C olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1-1/3 C coarsely chopped onion

1-1/2 C coarsely chopped celery and leaves

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 C sliced carrots, fresh or frozen

4-3/4 C shredded cabbage

1 can (1 lb) tomatoes, cut up

1 C canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1-1/2 C frozen peas

1-1/2 C fresh green beans

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

Dash hot sauce

11 C water

2 C uncooked, broken spaghetti

1. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan.

2. Add garlic, onion, and celery and sauté about 5 minutes.

3. Add all remaining ingredients except spaghetti, and stir until ingredients are well mixed.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

5. Add uncooked spaghetti and simmer 2 to 3 minutes only.

YIELD: 16 servings - SERVING SIZE: 1 cup

EACH SERVING PROVIDES: Calories: 153 - Total fat: 4 g - Saturated fat: less than 1 g - Cholesterol: 0 mg - Sodium: 191 mg

MINESTRONE SOUP 

3 quarts beef stock

2 c. soaked Great Northern white beans

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

2 tsp. finely chopped garlic

3 c. meatless spaghetti sauce

2 carrots, finely diced

4 ribs celery, finely diced

1 med. onion, finely diced

1 zucchini, finely diced

2 c. finely diced lean beef

1 lg. potato, finely diced

1/4 c. pepe pasta (very sm. grains of pasta)

3 fresh Italian plum tomatoes, finely diced

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 bag fresh spinach, washed, blanched & chopped

Bring stock to boil, add soaked beans; simmer until beans are almost tender. Add basil, garlic and spaghetti sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and meat. Simmer until vegetables are almost tender, stirring constantly. Add potato and pasta, stirring until both are cooked. Add tomatoes, simmer until cooked and season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, stir in spinach and cook briefly.

Serves 15.

CROCK POT MINESTRONE SOUP

16 Oz Tomatoes, Stewed -- Canned, Cut In Pieces

2 Medium onions -- chopped

2 Cloves garlic -- crushed

1 Cup Carrots -- Diced

1 Cup Celery -- Diced

1 Large zucchini -- thinly sliced

16 Oz kidney beans -- Canned

6 Oz tomato paste -- Canned

1 Tablespoon Parsley, Freeze-Dried -- Flakes

2 Teaspoons salt

1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper -- Finely Ground

6 Cups "Beef Style" vegetarian broth

1/4 Pound spaghetti -- cut in 2" pieces

1/2 Teaspoon ground sage

1 Teaspoon dried basil -- crushed

2 Cups Shredded Cabbage -- Optional

Place all ingredients except spaghetti in slow cooker; stir, Cover. Turn heat control to LOW; cook 10 to 12 hours. Add spaghetti. Cover and cook 1 hour longer. Makes about 12 (1 cup) servings.

HAMBURGER MINESTRONE SOUP

Serves 8

1 pound hamburger

1 large onion chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1 10 3/4 ounce can condensed beef bouillon

9 cups water

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 16 ounce can kidney beans drained

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup sliced carrots

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 cup chopped cabbage

1 cup frozen peas

1 large zucchini sliced

1 cup macaroni

grated parmesan cheese

Brown hamburger, onion and garlic. Drain off fat. Add bouillon, water, tomato paste, kidney beans, celery, carrots and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Serve with Parmesan Cheese.

BEST MINESTRONE SOUP AROUND

INGREDIENTS

• 8 tablespoons butter

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions

• 4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth

• 4 (15 ounce) cans mixed vegetables, with liquid

• 2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, with liquid

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, with liquid

• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 4 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder

• 4 teaspoons dried parsley

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained

• 4 cups heavy cream

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, stir and cook onions in butter until soft. Add broth, mixed vegetables, kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach, and tomato paste; simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the vegetables to a blender or food processor, reserving liquid in stock pot. Puree the vegetables until smooth and return them to stock pot.

3. Stir in garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, macaroni, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, garbanzo beans, and heavy cream; cook for 1/2 hour, stirring frequently. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

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