Minestrone Soup

It is a cold rainy day here today.  Just perfect weather for warm, tomato-ee minestrone soup.  There are many slants on this classic italian soup, but I really love incorporating earthy flavors of kale and cannellini beans.  You can go ultra - vege - healthful with this one or add some noodles to layer in another texture to your soup.  I am partial to the ultra vege, but if you feel so inclined please go creative on this one, add noodles, add different vegetables, go wild!  Sit down with a good book and a cup of soup served with some good bread toast and savour the flavor!

Homemade Minestrone Soup:

• 1/2 pound (about 1 1/4 cups) dried cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 pound pancetta (Italian cured pork belly, available at Italian markets and specialty foods shops) or sliced lean bacon, chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 rib of celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 2 zucchini, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium potatoe diced
• 4 cups shredded green cabbage (preferably Savoy)
• 1/2 pound kale, rinsed, drained, stems discarded, and the leaves chopped (about 6 cups)
• a 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped coarse
• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth (preferably low-salt)

In a large bowl let the cannellini beans soak in enough water to cover them by 2 inches overnight. Drain the beans, in a saucepan combine them with enough water to cover them by 2 inches, boil for 10 minutes to remove the gaseous toxins and reduce to simmer them, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep them barely covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are tender. Add the salt and simmer the white beans for 5 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat and let the white beans stand, uncovered.

In a heavy kettle cook the pancetta in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp and pale golden, add the onion, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the carrots, the celery, and the garlic and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, the green beans, and the potatoes, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and the kale and cook the mixture, stirring, until the cabbage is wilted. Add the tomatoes and the broth and simmer the soup, covered, for 1 hour.

Drain white beans, reserving the liquid, in a blender or food processor or by hand, purée half of them with 1 cup of the reserved liquid, and stir the purée and the remaining white beans into the soup. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 15 minutes, thin it if you need to - your preference - with some of the remaining reserve liquid, and season it with salt and pepper. The soup may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the soup, thinning it with water as desired. Serve with Bruschetta.