I now understand why my grandmother relied so heavily on frozen vegetables.
We’ve been on a really, really good kick with our farm boxes, and have been enjoying having fresh produce in our fridge every week. But it’s that weird part of the year when veggies aren’t super plentiful. Citrus season is winding down, we haven’t gotten into the abundance of spring produce quite yet, and so my farm box has been a repeat of carrots, celery, and onions. Ben and I literally have two full bunches of celery just chilling out in our crisper at the moment. And while it’s great to have that much produce at the ready, I ask you…what the fuck do you do with celery?
Turns out, you make soup.
Minestrone is actually the perfect recipe for this time of year. Green beans are pretty easy to find both fresh and frozen most of the year, potatoes are plentiful in March and April, and it utilizes leeks, which are at their peak right now. And, like most soups, it starts off with a soffritto (or mirepoix to you frogs) — a mixture of chopped celery, onions, and carrots. You probably also recognize this combo from last week’s bolognese recipe.
The nice thing about a soffritto is that you can dice up a huge batch of it and freeze it for when you need it. I like to cut my veggies, toss them all into a gallon-sized plastic bag, squeeze the air out, and then toss it in the fridge. Then, when it comes time to cook, just break off as much as you need and toss it directly into your pan to cook and defrost. (My grandmother’s frozen veggies came from the super market, but I think she’d approve of this technique, too.)
It’s been a crazy week. Work has been busy, I’ve been running a ton of errands, and Ben and I are planning to host our very first Seder next weekend. So this soup was surprisingly beneficial. It fed us for dinner and many lunches, which is one of the things I love about a Minestrone.
Hey, some weeks I’m full of nostalgic stories and musings on family. This week, I was just happy to put dinner on the table. A win is a win, as they say. And this recipe is definitely a winner.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 large or 2 small leeks, washed and diced
1 Tbsp parsley
1/3 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 package string beans
6 cups water
6 beef bullion cubes or 6 tablespoons beef bullion
1 cup macaroni (I like ditalini)
1 can kidney beans, drained
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot. Sauté garlic, onion, celery, and carrots until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks and sauté another 3 minutes.
Add tomato paste and stir until it melts a little. Then toss in your crushed tomatoes, water, bullion, and potatoes. Stir until combined and the bullion has broken down. Add parsley and thyme and taste. Bullion is salty, so there’s a good chance you won’t need anything but a few dashes of pepper. But if you need salt, add a little bit at a time.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies are tender on the outside but still a little hard in the center. Add in your pasta and the kidney beans and cook for another 10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Serve with some crusty bread, a sprinkle of parmesan, or a drizzle of olive oil on top.