This farmhouse minestrone is filled with seasonal veggies. It is incredibly hearty and filling. Farmhouse title really suits because I grew all the veggies and herbs that I used myself!
It’s wise that we use local vegetables while they are so tender as we have had abundant beneficial rainy winter. A personal word about the local vegetables. First of all nothing can beat its freshness. I cut these veg while they still had the morning dew on them! Regarding pesticides its a matter of trust; many local farmers are genuine but those who might abuse are on the spotlight. By growing my own l noticed that there are pests out there and if you don’t use some form of control, the final result won’t be the desired one for sure. To add up, when it comes to environment, locals use reuse crates without all those packaging and all the stuff that goes to our waste streams.
Lets come to the recipe: In this recipe I used the pretty savoy cabbage that have crinkled dark green leaves and tastes better with this soup. I included some ditali pasta to balance it and all my family enjoyed. No need to peel the second skin of the broad beans as they are so tender right now (we even like them raw while fresh ma xi biċċa ħobż bil-kunserva u żejt taż-żebbuġa yummy!)
Ingredients
- 1 medium chopped yellow onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium green chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ ltr vegetable stock
- 2 medium diced carrots
- 1 diced potatoes
- Some cauliflower florets
- 1 big can polpa
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp finely minced fresh rosemary/oregano
- 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry ditalini pasta
- 1\2 chopped savoy cabbage (thick ribs removed)
- 1 cup fresh broad bean
- 200 g butternut squash (optional)
Instructions
- Fry onions and carrots in olive oil and then add garlic and butternut squash if using and sauté for a minute. Then add tomato paste and cook while stirring until thick. Stir tomatoes and herbs.
- Add the vegetables and cover with stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to a boil and simmer for an hour.
- Stir in pasta and cook for further 5 mins. Allow to set.
- Remove bay leaves, serve warm with some cheese of your choice.
