Restaurant Recipes
Gambardella's Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry cannellini or Great Northern beans
- 1/2 cup dry red kidney beans
- 1/2 cup dry garbanzo beans
- 1/2 cup dry lentils
- 1/4 cup dry split peas
- 1 small white potato, peeled and diced
- 4 or 5 cups chicken or beef broth
- 2 (16 ounce) packages frozen Italian vegetables
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 3 large stalks celery, diced
- 1 medium bulb fennel, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley stems, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup fresh ripe tomatoes, diced, or peeled and diced canned tomatoes
- Cooked pasta or rice
Instructions
- Soak the cannellini, kidney and garbanzo beans, lentils and peas in lots of water to cover overnight. The next day, cook in 3 cups water 20 minutes; skim the foam from the top. Do not drain.
- Simmer the potatoes in 1 cup broth for 15 minutes; set aside. (Do not drain either preparation.)
- In a heavy-bottom 8 quart pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery and fennel; sauté until the onions are golden. Add the basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, fennel seeds, salt and pepper; add simmered beans, undrained potato and vegetables, and tomatoes. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add a little more broth if needed.
- Serve over pasta or rice.