Traditional Genoese Minestrone Soup with Crispy Parmesan Wafers

TASTE OF WINTER FACT

There is something truly satisfying about making, sharing and eating a bowl of steaming, hearty and homemade soup in winter. Whilst Minestrone soup is well known, this recipe features the lesser known Genoese style which does not use tomatoes and is finished with a little pesto. The recipe includes quick and easy to make crispy parmesan wafers which adds a contemporary alternative to the traditional grated parmesan cheese or crouton accompaniments.

INGREDIENTS

• 20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 110gm Leek, White Stem Only – remove root and finely slice.
• 185gm Potatoes – peel and cut into ½ cm dice.
• 195gm Carrots – top, tail, peel and cut into ½ cm dice.
• 295gm Butternut Pumpkin – peel, remove seeds and cut into ½ cm dice.
• 215gm Zucchini – top, tail and cut into ½ cm dice.
• 125gm Celery Stalks – rinse, drain and cut into ½ cm dice.
• 415gm Savoy Cabbage – remove and discard outer leaves and core and finely shred.
• 1.5lt Water
• 500ml Vegetable Stock, Salt Reduced
• 135gm Borlotti Beans, Canned – use both beans and bean liquid.
• 20gm Parmigiano Reggiano Rind
• 100gm Tubetti Pasta
• 90gm Kale – pick leaves, rinse, drain and roughly chop.
• 150gm Good Quality Pesto
• To Taste – Sea Salt and Finely Ground Black Pepper
• As Required – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
• 120gm Parmigiano Reggiano – finely grate.

METHOD

1. Over a moderate heat, in a suitably sized saucepan, add and heat the oil, add the leeks and sauté for 1 minute, stirring regularly or until they have softened and are fragrant. Add the potato, carrot, pumpkin, zucchini, celery and savoy cabbage and continue to sauté for a further minute. Add the water and vegetable stock, mix to combine, bring up to the boil, then turn the heat down to very low and allow it to gently simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add the beans, bean liquid, Parmigiano Reggiano rind, mix to combine and gently simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Remove 2 cups worth of the soup, place into a blender jug and blend to a smooth puree and set to one side.
4. Add the tubetti pasta to the soup, mix to combine and continue to gently simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Remove the Parmigiano Reggiano rind and discard.
5. Return the puree to the soup, and mix to combine.
6. Add the kale and 50gm of pesto to the soup, mix to combine and continue to simmer for a further 2 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat. Set to one side and keep hot.
7. Lightly oil a suitably sized flat dinner plate – place 15gm of the Parmigiano Reggiano onto the plate, and shape into a rectangle, roughly 19cm long by 7cm wide. Place into a microwave oven and cook for 50 seconds. Remove, allow the cheese to cool for 30 seconds and slightly firm up. Carefully remove the cheese in one piece, turn over, place back onto the plate and return to the microwave oven and cook for a further 50 seconds. Remove from the microwave oven, allow to cool for 1 minute. Again remove the cheese from the plate in one piece – place onto a cooling rack to allow the parmesan wafer to cool to room temperature and crispen up. Repeat the process with the remainder of the cheese to make 8 parmesan wafers.

TO SERVE

Evenly distribute the soup between the required number of serving bowls, top each with a generous dollop of pesto, and serve each accompanied by 1-2 crispy parmesan wafers.