I also made Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream for dessert. It was my brother's contribution to Christmas dinner, and was a huge hit with everyone present. Along with pumpkin, crushed gingersnaps and spices, it has a couple tablespoons of Bourbon added in. Yum........
The soup recipe is from one of the cookbooks I use most often, Simply Classic. I love it and except for being free and easy with the amounts and kinds of vegetables added, and adjusting the seasonings at the end, I make few other adaptations of my own. Everyone here likes a bit of a kick, so I finished it with a few splashes of Tabasco Sauce.
More Than Minestrone
adapted from Simply Classic
Serves 6
5-7 slices of bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 or more celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 cloves, minced garlic
1 28 oz can, Italian tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped parsley
6 cups chicken stock
1 10 oz can each of kidney, garbanzo and cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp each of dried basil and oregano
1 1/2 cups small shell pasta
Salt, pepper and Tabasco
-Cook bacon in heavy pot until crisp. Add onion and celery then cook for 5 minutes more or until soft.
-Add carrot and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
-Add tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano and stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. **When making ahead, this is where I turn off the heat, put the lid on the pot and finish right before we eat.
-Add beans. Stir and heat until warmed with the soup.
-Add pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes or until al dente.
A couple of notes:
~I use thick cut nitrite-free bacon and spend a couple extra minutes cutting a lot of the fat off before chopping and cooking it (kitchen scissors work well). If more fat is needed when sauteing the vegetables, I add olive oil. Traditional minestrone doesn't have meat in it....but I love the added flavor of the bacon here.
~I'm also a little loose with the veggies called for and will add an extra carrot or stalk of celery if I want to use them up......or whatever else happens to be in the fridge.
~Chop whole canned tomatoes with kitchen scissors before adding.
~Whole wheat pasta shells hold up better than traditional, and according to me, have a better flavor and bite.
~A tsp or so of pesto swirled into each bowl right before serving is nice.
~This soup freezes well. If you want to freeze it, add pasta shells after it has been thawed and brought to a simmer. Cook for 8 more minutes.
~Enjoy!
~A tsp or so of pesto swirled into each bowl right before serving is nice.
~This soup freezes well. If you want to freeze it, add pasta shells after it has been thawed and brought to a simmer. Cook for 8 more minutes.
~Enjoy!
Wishing You A Very Happy and Healthy New Year......Be safe out there tonight!
XO, Margaret
2 comments:
Happy New Year, Margaret! And that entire meal sounds wonderful! I've made that soup a number of times, and the ice cream sounds amazing. Have a fun transition from 11 to 12! -- Michele
Yes...the ice cream is delicious. I added some info about freezing the soup as well! Hope you saw the lovely handwarmers you made me on my last post! HNY! :)
Marg
Post a Comment