Mine is a family that loves a good soup, and this minestrone recipe handed down from my mom is pretty stellar. I make it using things we freeze from the garden such as green and cannellini beans, tomatoes, and carrots. I get the ham shank from our local smokehouse in Tolland, CT (I buy a few and keep them in the freezer, too), and the rest of the ingredients are all easily found in any supermarket. This soup is easy to make, the only thing it needs is time and love.

The ingredients are as follows: 1 quart bag of frozen whole tomatoes, peeled (1 large can of whole tomatoes), 1 quart bag of frozen green beans (1 can of green beans), a half quart bag of frozen cannellini beans (here you can sub with a can of cannellinis or about a cup or more of dry beans. If using dry, soak them overnight), and the most important ingredient for pure flavor–1 SMOKED ham shank. And trust me, you want that bestia smoked.

You will also need about 4 or 5 medium sized potatoes, 2 medium onions, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 carrot, and 1 stalk of celery, leaves included.

Next, add the shank, both beans, and the tomatoes into a 3 or 4 gallon stock pot and just cover with water.

 

Turn the burner on high. While waiting for that to heat up, prepare the other vegetables. Peel and chop the potatoes into nice chunks, dice the onions, carrot, and celery (with leaves), and mash the garlic with the knife.

 

Add all those chopped vegetables into the pot along with some salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil. Pour enough water in to cover everything and add about an inch or 2 more.

 

Now let this soup cook down for about 4 hours. I know that sounds like a long time, but it is worth it. At that point it will look like this:

 

Yes.

Now crucial to this soup is butter, parmesan, and a good loaf of crusty bread. 

 

When the soup has cooked down and is nice and thick, ladle out however many portions will be supping that night into a smaller pot and bring up to a boil. take a small amount of pasta–I use angel hair–break it into fourths (you want bite-size bits here), and add to the small pot of soup.

 

 

While you're waiting for the pasta to cook, you can package all your minestrone (ALWAYS minus the pasta!) into containers for the freezer.

 

When the pasta is cooked al dente, and with angel hair this only takes about 5 minutes, ladle the soup into beautiful bowl, add a teaspoon sized daub of soft butter on top and a nice amount of parmesan cheese. Serve with your crusty bread and you are in for a rustic, Italian treat.