Birthday Minestrone

My sister has a January birthday, too close to the holidays. As such, she often gets passed over for hangovers and vacations and has learned not to put too much hope in a festive celebration. I insisted we party this year, and since she wanted no part of the planning, throwing together a Sunday Funday get-together fell to me.

This sister also loves soup. So a soup party (and a screening of the 90s absolute classic Tremors) seemed like a natural theme. Everyone brings a soup to share– there’s bread, some cheese and bowls of herbs to garnish. A warm pot of wintery minestrone with hearty vegetables, pasta, beans would start things off right.

A successful soup, besides being edible, starts with a flavorful broth. Vegetable stock (so our end result is vegetarian friendly) can be homemade or purchased and added to; here I used store-bought, low-sodium broth and simmered it with half an onion, garlic, chopped fresh parsley and basil and a few whole black peppercorns. Next, the vegetables.

Start with the soffrito: leeks, white onion, garlic, celery, carrots and fennel are slowly  cooked in olive oil giving them a change to soften and release their natural flavors. Season liberally at this stage, so we have a flavor base to build on. Then add the flavored broth, cooked cranberry (borlotti) beans, pasta and winter greens. I used spinach, but kale, chard, or cabbage would also work. Top with freshly grated parmigiano and a dollop of pesto stirred at the end. One happy birthday girl, coming up.

Winter Minestrone for a Group

1 large yellow onion, diced
1 medium leek, quartered, cleaned and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 bulb of fennel, diced
2- 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 cups cooked cranberry (borlotti) or cannelini beans
12 oz fresh spinach
8 oz. dried ravioli, or any small pasta or spaghetti broken into 1in lengths
2 bay leaves
vegetable stock
olive oil
salt and pepper

In a very large stock pot, over medium heat add 1/4 cup olive oil. Then add the onions, leeks, carrots, celery, fennel and garlic, season with salt and fresh cracked pepper and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft and just starting to color. Add both cans of diced tomato, 4 quarts vegetable stock, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes. When the pasta is almost done, add the fresh spinach and cook another 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. If serving to a large crowd, reduce heat to lowest setting, so as not to overcook the pasta and spinace. Serve hot, topped with fresh grated parmesan and a spoonful of pesto (recipe to follow).

Pesto

1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 cups packed, fresh basil
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the pine nuts and garlic until coarsely chopped. With the machine off, add the basil leaves into the bowl, replace the lid and process. Begin pouring olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto reaches the desired consistency. When it is the texture of loose oatmeal or polenta, pour into a serving bowl, and stir in the parmesan by hand. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Pesto will keep, refrigerated in an air-tight container (cover the surface of the pesto with a slick of olive oil) for up to a week.