Kelly Rossiter
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When I was looking for a recipe for the Soup of the Week, I did what I usually do. I looked up recipes in Gourmet. My mother gave me a subscription about 25 years ago and it has been my birthday present from her ever since. If I counted all the recipes I have shared with readers of Planet Green and TreeHugger over the years, I am sure that the source most quoted would be that publication.
I have planned dinner parties using nothing but recipes from Gourmet. I have magazines that are so spattered you can hardly see the printing. I have learned lots of cooking tips, and have felt encouraged to try difficult recipes. I have favourites that I return to all the time, and I try something new out of each edition. Each month when it arrives I make myself a martini, put my feet up and go through the entire magazine with intense pleasure, often choosing something from it to cook for dinner that very evening. This past August, my daughter and I sat on the deck at the cottage and enjoyed taking time over each page together and discussing what we'd like to make, or where we would like to go.
In another week or so, when the last edition arrives I'll probably be sad enough to have two martinis. I have kept every single magazine since the start of my subscription, and in the one area of organization in my life, I actually have them on a bookcase in chronological order. I think that perhaps what I should do come late November and pull the first one off the shelf and reread it, and work my way through the whole bookshelf, month by month. That way, I'll have another 25 years of Gourmet.
As I often do, I made some small changes to the recipe. I had lots of fantastic kale from my garden, so I used that rather than escarole. I was very happy to use my own canned tomatoes, which have a much better flavour that the stuff you buy. This is an easy recipe, but it takes a bit of time. It's a great thing to make this long weekend, if you have some time at home. Add some crusty bread and a green salad and it would make a nice Sunday supper. The recipe makes a lot, so you'll have some to take to work for lunch. If you want to make this vegetarian, or vegan, just leave out the pancetta.
Minestrone Soup
1/3 pound sliced pancetta, chopped
3 medium red onions, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
3 quart hot water
5 cups coarsely chopped cored Savoy cabbage (6 ounces)
5 cups coarsely chopped escarole (1/2 pound)
1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (about 3 by 1 1/2 inches)
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup small pasta such as orecchietti , cooked
1. Cook pancetta, onions, celery, and carrots in oil in a wide 7-to 9-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while preparing chard.
2. Cut out stems from chard and chop stems, reserving leaves. Stir chard stems into pancetta mixture with garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 45 minutes total. (Set aside chard leaves.)
3. Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Stir paste into vegetables and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. (Paste may stick to pot, but don't let it burn.)
4. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up with a spoon, then add hot water (3 quarts), scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot.
5. Bring to a simmer. Stir in cabbage, escarole, and parmesan rind. Simmer, covered, until greens are tender, about 40 minutes.
6. Coarsely chop chard leaves and stir into soup along with beans. Simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. Discard rind. Season soup with salt and pepper. If using pasta, stir in just before serving.
From Gourmet, January 2009
Difficulty Level: Easy
More Soup of the Week Recipes
Soup of the Week: Curried Zucchini
Soup of the Week: Tomato Fennel
Soup of the Week: Baked Potato
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