Minestrone Soup!
Fall has finally arrived here in Paris and now that it’s starting to get a little bit chilly, one of the best ways to warm up is with some hot Minestrone Soup! My wife, Lindsey, and I were walking around Paris yesterday, we met up after one of her photo sessions for her company,Pictours Paris, and decided to see some of the sites and take the scenic way home. Sadly, Lindsey’s wonderful Aunt and Godmother, Colleen, just passed away and we had decided that we wanted to stop by Notre Dame church and light a candle in her memory. Afterwards, we made a stop at St. Chapelle to see the stained glass windows which I haven’t seen in the two years we’ve lived here. They were amazing. What a beautiful church!
While walking around in the sprinkling rain and with the noticeable chill in the air, Lindsey said, with a smile that I can never say no to, “I’m starving and I think tonight would be a great night for some warm vegetable soup!” I thought, not a bad idea actually, I could whip up a batch that would last up a few days and have a recipe to start this blog with.
So once we got home, I ran down to the street to the market to pick up some of the things I didn’t have on hand. Once I got home, everything was in place to put together my soup. Minestrone soup is a great go-to soup. You can use leftover veg and canned products that you probably have in your pantry. Here’s the recipe, enjoy!
- 2, 400 g/8 oz cans Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 2 Carrots, diced
- 2 Rib of Celery, diced
- 1 Zucchini, diced
- 1 Large Potato, diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
- Rind for a piece of Parmesan
- 1 400 g/ 8 oz can of Beans, (I went with white beans)
- 1 Cup Elbow Pasta
- 1 Liter/ 4 Cups Chicken stock
- Bay Leaf
- Thyme
- Salt + Pepper
- Olive oil
- Sherry Vinegar
- In a large pot, heat your oil over medium-high heat and toss in your onions, once the onions are translucent, 4-5 minutes, add your carrots, celery and garlic and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, bay, thyme and parmesan rind and bring it to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to a simmer and let it cook for an hour.
- Toss in your potatoes and zucchini and cook it for another 20 minutes.
- Add in your pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Season with S+P, sherry vinegar for some added acidity if needed and serve with an additional drizzle of olive oil on top.