Minestrone memories
Eat Plentiful #41
Hey peeps, firstly thanks for your answers last week, the majority of you asked for quick 5 mins recipes, I will do my best.
Isn’t there something special about childhood food? They transport you back to the past and make you feel safe. I have a British family on my mother’s side and a French family on my father’s and most people would usually put their money on me having had better food with the French side but you couldn’t be more wrong.
Starting with my grandparents, both of whom are incredible cooks, and still to this day cook for themselves daily. Curries from scratch, coffee and walnut cake, whole baked fish, kippers, pig trotters, leg of lamb, pavlova, homemade samosas, you name it and they can cook it better than most. My uncles and aunts are all equally as good a cooks and our holidays usually revolve around eating one fantastic meal after the other, even if we’re cooking for 30 people and more.
After a crazy warm week and a few evenings on the beach last week, this week has been torrential rain one day after the other, the perfect opportunity to get my nose back into a good book. In this case Rich Roll’s, Finding Ultra, where promotes the benefits of a plant based diet. His arguments resonated with me so much that I could not help myself but crave veggies, veggies and more veggies. And what better way to satisfy that craving than by cooking one of the dishes I was brought up on: minestrone. Everyone in my family has their own version of the recipe. The recipe is never the same, depending on the season or what’s kicking around my fridge but it’s the same concept overall. It’s a crowd pleaser and one that makes you feel good.
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Winter Minestrone
For 4 people
Preparation time: 5mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
250gr mushrooms, roughly sliced
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
25cl vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups wild or normal spinach
Parmesan rind (if you have some saved in the fridge)
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
Pesto (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the diced carrots to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until nicely browned.
Stir in the cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and dried oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.
Stir in the chopped fresh spinach and let it wilt into the soup, about 2-3 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If the soup is too thick, loosen it up with some water.
Serve the minestrone hot, with some grated parmesan and a generous spoon of pesto.
It’s a great one to empty your fridge, any vegetables work here so don’t be afraid to customise it to your taste.
Add:
Fried lardons or chorizo
Any type of small pasta (especially good for kids)
Mushrooms, celery, courgette, fennel, aubergine…go crazy.
Fresh basil
Kale or any leafy greens instead of spinach
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What made me smile this week?
This very funny French Instagram account from Sauce Gribiche, I love this guy. This is for all you french speakers out there and if you don’t speak French yet, get started.
Until next week x