Winter Minestrone

Ingredients for Winter Minestrone

• 150g sliced pancetta, chopped

• 3 medium red onions, chopped

• 4 celery ribs, chopped

• 2 medium carrots, chopped

• 80ml olio extravergine di oliva

• 1 bunch Swiss chard

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 (800g) can whole tomatoes in juice

• 2.8L hot water

• 5 cups coarsely chopped cored Savoy cabbage (170g)

• 5 cups coarsely chopped escarole (230g )

• 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (about 3 by 1 1/2 inches)

• 1 (550g) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

• Accompaniments: extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

• cooked ditalini pasta tossed with oil (optional)

• grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook pancetta, onions, celery, and carrots in oil in a wide 7-to 9-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while preparing chard.

Cut out stems from chard and chop stems, reserving leaves. Stir chard stems into pancetta mixture with garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoons pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 45 minutes total. (Set aside chard leaves.)

Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Stir paste into vegetables and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. (Paste may stick to pot, but don't let it burn.)

Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up with a spoon, then add hot water (2.8L ), scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot.

Bring to a simmer. Stir in cabbage, escarole, and parmesan rind. Simmer, covered, until greens are tender, about 40 minutes.

Coarsely chop chard leaves and stir into soup along with beans. Simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. Discard rind. Season soup with salt and pepper. If using ditalini, stir in just before serving.

Avvertenza

Sebbene sia stato fatto ogni sforzo per garantire che le informazioni siano accurate e aggiornate, le esigenze individuali possono variare e i requisiti dietetici possono differire in base alle condizioni di salute personali. Controlla sempre le etichette degli alimenti e le informazioni sugli allergeni prima di preparare o consumare qualsiasi ricetta. Se hai preoccupazioni specifiche per la salute, allergie, intolleranze o stai seguendo una dieta prescritta dal medico, consulta il tuo medico di base, farmacista o un dietista registrato prima di apportare cambiamenti significativi alla tua dieta o stile di vita.