Italian classics. First course: prepare the soup Minestrone

Italian cuisine is very popular all over Europe, and many Italian dishes are classic and an indispensable attribute menu, good cafes and restaurants. Beautiful names of the dishes, their harmonious refined taste, however, is not inconsistent with the culinary habits of many average Europeans are only small reasons for the popularity of the cuisine of Italy. Today we will get acquainted with dish called Minestrone and learn how to cook this wonderful Italian vegetable soup.

Minestrone is one of the most popular Italian dishes, as we know it in Italy for a very long time: for centuries in rural areas in different parts of the country it was made of seasonal vegetables - it was one of the most everyday dishes, so this soup remains today. The name "minestrone" is translated as "big soup" (if literally, then in our opinion it sounds like "supima") and indicates the main feature of the dish: it is made of many ingredients, as is, this minestrone consists of not less than 10 kinds of vegetables.

It is minestrone was one of the most favorite dishes of Leonardo da Vinci.

From rural Italian minestrone joined the national, but in each region it is cooked in its own way: in Lombardy, put the pumpkin and Parmesan cheese, Tuscan white beans, in Sardinia - nut, in Milan, fresh peas and pork skin, in Liguria - pesto sauce.

We will talk about cooking minestrone at home, and you can surprise home so foreign restaurant, but at the same quite a common dish, which is popular in our country products.

Recipes for minestrone soup at home

Actually cooking minestrone - it's easy! One correct recipe simply does not exist, so each cook is free to cook it in its own way, just observing the General guidelines.

A few rules of preparation of the present minestrone, in addition to the "rule of 10 vegetables":

To prepare the soup can as a vegetable (classic), and meat (Italians cook this soup on the pancetta - Italian bacon, or ham on the bone), chicken broth, add to the soup can of grape wine.

Add to the soup can any vegetables, but must be present any legumes, the most delicious minestrone - with seasonal vegetables. Italians often use for this soup, carrots, celery, onion, fennel, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, pumpkin and zucchini. Italian minestrone always very thick.

Classic minestrone rice or pasta from durum wheat.

The traditional way of making minestrone vegetables then until tender, then blend half a blender and mix with the whole. Simmer the vegetables should on low heat with olive oil - this allows you to get "the taste".

The best seasoning for minestrone - Basil and other greens.

Recipe traditional Minestrone

You will need: 2.5 l water, 200 g of dried peas, 100g bacon and rice, 4 tomatoes, 2 potatoes and zucchini, 1 carrot and onion ? cabbage, 1 jar of canned beans or 200-300g dry, 3 tbsp olive oil, spices to taste (oregano, Basil, oregano, etc).

How to cook traditional Minestrone. Cut into julienne cabbage, cut into cubes zucchini, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes, half-rings - onion, fry it with bacon in butter. Water to boil, put all the vegetables, put on very low heat for 1-1,5 hours, put the onion and bacon, washed rice and green peas, boiled until tender these ingredients. Before serving the soup, sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bacon can not add.

Classic minestrone - perfect soup for those who want to lose weight, because it's filling yet low in calories, because preparing for vegetable broth.

Recipe spicy Minestrone

You will need: 450g tomatoes in own juice, 400g canned beans, 200g green beans, 100g pasta short, 2 carrots, 1 zucchini, garlic cloves, potatoes, large stalk of celery and the onion ? tsp. dry rosemary, red hot and black pepper, Basil, grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt.

How to cook spicy minestrone. Heat a deep pan with olive oil, put chopped celery, carrot and onion, spicy pepper and black pepper, season with rosemary, salt, fry for 5-7 minutes until taromenane onions. Mash tomatoes with a fork, put in a pan, put 1 to 2 minutes, cut into Cubes zucchini and potatoes, drain the liquid from the beans, rinse it, put all these vegetables to the rest in the pan, put 1 to 2 minutes, Pour in the pot 1.7 l of water, put all of the frying pan, add the chopped green beans, bring to a boil, boil until soft all the vegetables. Macaroni and add to the soup for 10 minutes until it is ready, season the soup before serving with fresh chopped Basil and garlic, stir and ready to hold the soup under cover for 5 minutes In a plate of soup mix in the grated Parmesan.

You can make the taste of Minestrone even brighter, if you add the mushrooms.

Recipe diet version of Minestrone soup

You will need: 2 liters of water, 100g green beans (green), asparagus, broccoli, pumpkin/sweet potato, potatoes, celery, leeks, carrots, onion, dry beans, 2-3 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of oregano, thyme, Basil, marjoram, dill, pepper, salt.

How to cook traditional Italian Minestrone soup. Soak beans overnight in 200ml of water, then this water supply to cook, pour another 1 liter of water, put half of the carrots and onions. All the vegetables cut into dice finely, take a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add oil, heat, put first the celery, leeks and remaining carrots, put out, then put the sweet potato/pumpkin and potatoes, put out until half cooked potatoes, add sliced 2-3 cm green beans and asparagus, broccoli, disassembled into florets. From ready beans put the carrots and onions, you can slice the carrots and put it in the soup, pour the beans with the broth to the vegetables, pepper, salt, seasoning herbs, if necessary, if the soup is too thick, add another 500ml of water, bring to a boil, cook over low heat for 5 minutes, then half of the soup to blend blender and pour back into the pan, again bring to a boil and 5 min to boil.

Fill minestrone can ham slices, if you want to make the soup more filling.

Italian cuisine is definitely close to Russian, and this soup will gladly dine or sup all lovers of vegetables, because it is incredibly tasty!