Author Topic: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book  (Read 57323 times)

Offline Thermomixer

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Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« on: September 02, 2009, 02:38:32 pm »
This recipe replaces the recipe in the Everyday Cooking book but there are more changes in the latest edition of the EDC, highlighted in red.


Minestrone Soup with Pasta
Ingredients
Small handful Italian Parsley
Few Basil Leaves
1 Onion peeled and halved
3 cloves Garlic
50g Olive Oil
400g diced Vegetables of choice (Mushrooms, Carrot, Celery, Potato, Peas)
400g tin chopped Tomatoes
400g tin Borlotti or Cannelini Beans drained
2 tsp TM Vegetable Stock Concentrate
750g Water 650g water
50g sachet Tomato Paste
1 tbsp raw Sugar no sugar in latest recipe
Sea Salt to taste
130g Pasta Shells100g pasta shells

Method
Place parsley and basil into TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7. Set aside.
Place onion, garlic and olive oil into TM bowl and chop for 4 seconds on speed 6. Place onion & garlic into TM bowl and chop for 3 sec/speed 7
Sauté for 5 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.add oil and saute 3mins/varoma/speed 1
Add all remaining ingredients except peas if using and pasta shells and cook for 15
minutes at 100șC on Reverse + speed soft. (speed 1)
Add pasta (and peas) and cook for a further 10 minutes at 100șC on Reverse +
speed soft.(speed 1)
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and basil and serve with fresh crusty bread.

« Last Edit: July 02, 2014, 02:55:20 am by judydawn »
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Offline Shayla

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2009, 06:52:44 pm »
I still think 130gm of pasta is way too much - the original EDC recipe was more like a pasta dish than a soup! When I make minestrone I never really measure any of the ingredients just chuck them in until it looks right!
Shayla in Cape Town
« Last Edit: November 28, 2009, 08:46:13 pm by Shayla »

Offline meganjane

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2009, 01:54:23 pm »
I used 130g pasta when I made it today. I used the small shells and it was fine. I would put the canned beans in last though as mine were really just munched up, making the soup thick. I didn't have any tomato paste, but I used my Tomato Passata instead and it was divine.
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Offline judydawn

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2009, 11:39:09 am »
Sounds like your tomato passata is coming in very handy Meganjane.
Judy from North Haven, South Australia

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Offline astrogirl

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2010, 12:05:46 pm »
I made this today and also think that 130 g of pasta is way too much.   I  am going to do it with 500 g of veggies, more water and only 80g of pasta so that it is more veg than pasta.  has a lovely flavour though so this will def be one of my regular dishes.   will let you know how i go.  I also found the lentil tomato pasta bake ( in the veggie book) way too heavy in pasta and have adjusted. 

Offline Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2010, 12:08:13 pm »
Did you like the pasta bake astrogirl (aside from the pasta issue)?  I have often looked at it, but never tried it.  :)

Offline amajjika

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2011, 04:31:42 am »
Being partly of Italian heritage and until  *: entered my life, my minestrone was always made from scratch, albeit sometimes in a pressure cooker.  As with most traditional recipes, there is no one definitive recipe as each region will have it's own unique take on it, which is often dictated by the food specialties they produce.

My general observations of soups made in the  *: Vs on the stove top or slow cooker is that the excellent temperature control makes for wonderful soups able to convey really delicate and fresh flavours.

I am posting here on this recipe to offer some suggestions and observations after having tried many versions of minestrone in many parts of Italy:

For the total volume of liquid, I feel that a whole tin on Chopped Tomatoes AND Tomato Paste is just too much tomato.   Minestrone is not intended to be a tomato based soup.

Onion is good but you can subtley change the flavour by using leek - just for a change.

I tend not to use garlic at all.

I'm funny about the type of vegetables and the order in which they should be added/cooked.  The Italians have a name for a step in cooking called "insaporire" which translates as "to impart flavour".  The point of adding oil (and possibly a bit of butter too - tastes great but your choice) and sauteeing is to enable the onion (or leek), carrot and celery to release their flavours through heat into the oil.  I often add a parsnip too and after a few minutes a zucchini as well.  Just putting all these ingredients into water and "boiling them" so to speak into a soup does not provide a richness of flavour (in my humble opinion) than if you took the time to do this extra step.

So I would start with:
Sauteeing the chopped onion. (at this point you could add pancetta/speck/or bacon if using - it does change the flavour considerably)
Add chopped carrot and celery (and parsnip) saute that.  Add zucchini after a couple of minutes and then add liquid and potatoe if using)

I am ambivalent about the use of mushrooms in the soup at all - but if you must add them then I would saute them as well.  It's just that they have such a delicate flavour that becomes lost with over cooking and somewhat uninspiring if just thrown directly into the liquid to stew or boil.

Tinned beans... yes in a pinch but soaking and boiling your own is such a different experince.
If no beans, try some Puy lentils (no soaking required but I would pre boil and add cooked).

SUGAR!!! I have often wondered about the use of sugar in any Italian savoury recipe - it's just not done!  But I think it stems from perhaps two possible origins.  The amount of tomato used and the cooking method might make the soup too acidic and the use of sugar could tame it down.  OR could the use of sugar stem from an attempt to emulate "pre-made" store bought soups and sauces which have a distinct "factory flavour" and cloying sweetness?  I'm so anti this that I wouldn't want to experiement anyway...

Stock concentrate - to be fair I have not made this yet and I look foward to having it in my fridge!!  But I am a big lover of having large stocks of chicken or vegetable stock in the freezer.  Great stock can be made so economically using chicken carcasses (preferably organic) and easily (set on stove and simmer for three hours or large slow cooker for 4- 6 hours on low).  So I would encourage you to try to get an amazing flavour. (But yes I will make the stock concentrate because it makes sense too!)

Other vegetables - after the inital cooking with liquid period, I would add any combination of spinach, cauliflower and cabbage at this point and cook for a while longer - in my opinion these veggies take away from the soups flavour rather than add to it when cooked for a long time.

Add peas right at the end if they are frozen.

PASTA - use of and how much.  Alas my traditional pasta eating days are over with the appearance of a scary and uncomfortable intolerance to all things wheat!  I do eat some gluten free pasta occassionally but apart from one brand, most really taste like an anemic and rubbery imitation of the real thing.  But back to my point of whether to use or not use...
I have tasted both types of minestrone in Italy - without pasta and with.  And of the "with pasta" variety, I have tasted minestrone's where the pasta has been cooked in the soup, and versions where the pasta was cooked separately and added later.

Without Pasta, With Pasta cooked in the soup or With Pasta cooked separately (and how much pasta to use in total) is really a matter of taste.  I would agree with astrogirl and Shayla that 130g for this volume of liquid is too much.  Keep in mind that minestrone is meant to be a hearty winter meal so the addition of pasta would definitely satisfy hungry appetites.  Cooking pasta in the soup will case the soup's liquid to carry all the starch from the pasta... it can become quite thick.  But I've tasted it made by a lovely traditional Italian mother and I thought it was great at the time.

Oh and smaller sized (but not tiny) pasta is best - there's a type which is like a 0.5 cm tiny macaroni.  From memory in a big pot of soup (think 3 or 4 litres at least) I think one tablespoon of pasta was considered sufficient.

I'm not sure what I would think now when my thinking on food and what I put into my body has changed in so many ways.

Final notes:
Adding basil??? not sure about that but that's because as a purist I could just be closed minded about some things.  However parsley at the end is great. 
Try sprinkling grated parmesan cheese on top. 
Or adding a tablespoon of your favourite top shelf, expensive EVOO once the soup is in the bowl.  Truly divine.
Italian's NEVER eat bread and pasta together!  :o

Enjoy ;)

Offline fundj&e

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2011, 06:46:38 am »
back in the 40s and 50s and 60s my mum would of use 1kg of pasta,with only potato and onion in the soup.






i don't need a recipe i'm italian

Offline fundj&e

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2011, 06:50:49 am »
On a more serious note i do agree with most it. Not sure about Italian's NEVER eat bread and pasta together.
i don't need a recipe i'm italian

Offline judydawn

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2011, 08:39:35 am »
Thanks for all those comments amajjika - I found them very interesting.  I guess a westernised version of any food is going to be a far cry from the original.  As an Aussie, I would always break the pasta & bread rule - it seems a perfect match to me :)
Judy from North Haven, South Australia

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Offline cookie1

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2011, 06:43:36 am »
I love bread with any type of soup.
May all dairy items in your fridge be of questionable vintage.

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Offline obbie

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2011, 06:06:37 am »
I love minestone soup, will try this one over the weekend.

Thanks,

Robyn
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Offline Aimee

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2011, 01:23:04 am »
The minestrone soup was a huge hit! However 130gm pasta was way too much and next time I will halve the amount. 

Offline fundj&e

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #13 on: October 30, 2011, 01:48:29 am »
welcome to the forum Aimee  ;D
i don't need a recipe i'm italian

Offline Delightful Den

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Re: Minestrone Soup with Pasta - replacement for EDC book
« Reply #14 on: December 12, 2011, 12:31:05 pm »
Since Mother Nature decided to grace us with another cool wet evening I gave this a try tonight.  I never made the EDC version since
I never figured it would measure it up to my regular recipe.

I took on board amajjika's suggestions and kept my old recipe in the back of my mind. I started with 1 clove garlic, onion and 1 rasher of bacon which I chopped 3 seconds speed 6 (2 seconds at 5 might have been better). I sauteed this in oil and butter for 3 minutes reverse speed 1 then add a carrot and stick of celery which I chopped for 2 seconds on 5 then sauteed for a further 2 minutes. I continued this process with each addition of zucchini, potato and green beans.

Finally added the tomatoes, stock paste and water cooked 100 reverser speed 1 for 20 minutes after 20 min added tin 4 bean mix and 40 gms pasta and cooked another 10 minutes.

While it was not my old slow cooked minestrone it was pretty good.