Recipes For 2004

Minestrone Soup

1/3 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ½ inch pieces
3 medium zucchini, diced
1 ½ cups sliced green beans
1 medium green cabbage, shredded
5 cups beef stock
5 cups water
1 can (35-oz) Italian plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 inch chunk, including outer rind, of Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 ½ cups canned white kidney beans, drained
1 pound cheese tortellini
1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage, fried, drained, and sliced
Grated Fontina cheese

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 10-15 minutes.

Stir in carrots, fennel, potatoes, green pepper, zucchini and green beans, sautéing each vegetable 2-3 minutes before adding the next. When all the vegetables have been added, stir in the cabbage and cook 5 minutes more.

Add stock, water, tomatoes with their juice, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Bury the Parmesan (or Romano) rind in the middle of the soup. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to simmer, covered, over low heat for 2 ½ - 3 hours. The soup will be very thick.

Fifteen minutes before serving stir in the white kidney beans and tortellini. Raise the heat to cook the tortellini, but stir soup occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Just before serving, sir in sausage.

Ladle soup into bowls and generously garnish with Fontina.

10 – 12 servings