One of the easiest and most satisfying ways to bring Tuscany home is to make minestrone soup. My clear-broth version is decidedly unTuscan, compared to the porridge-like Minestra that is thick enough to stand a spoon up in (it’s heaven in a bowl, but somehow not meant to be eaten Stateside). Nevertheless, follow this recipe to enjoy a blissful transport into a zone someplace between Tuscany and heaven! I have incorporated the most essential elements of all Italian soups—starting with the soffritto base and very slowly adding the broth—which is the secret behind its authentic flavor. Never pour all the liquid in at once—it will suck all the flavor out of the vegetables!

Marlane’s Minestrone Soup

This recipe is simple, and once you get it down you can make a delicious pot, ready to serve, in less than an hour, though it is better if allowed to sit overnight so the flavors can commingle and intensify. Served with fresh pesto and crostini, it is the ultimate winter comfort food.

6-8 servings

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. olive oil
1 large or 2 medium white onions*, chopped fine
4 medium carrots, quartered lengthwise and chopped crosswise in ¼” pieces
4 ribs celery, diced into 1/4” pieces
1 bulb garlic, peeled, all cloves finely minced
¾ cup dried garbanzo** beans, soaked overnight
½ lb. green beans, stem ends trimmed and chopped into 1” pieces
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced in ½” cubes
1 tube tomato paste, preferably made in Italy
6-8 cups water
1 cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. fresh thyme (optional)
1 tsp. fresh sage leaves, chopped (optional)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely minced (optional)
½ tsp. dried red chili flakes (optional)
1 tbsp. sea salt (or to taste)
1 tsp ground black pepper
Rind of Parmesan cheese, if available
Additional best quality extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over soup just before serving
Fresh basil pesto to serve over soup (see recipe below)

*You may substitute 2 leeks for the onions, carefully rinsing all dirt out of the layers, chopping the white parts into ¼” dice and discarding the green tops.

**You may substitute great northern or cannellini beans for the garbanzos

You can use other vegetables if you like, but be careful not to use too many different kinds in one batch as you will wind up with more of a stew than a soup; chopped cabbage is a typical Tuscan inclusion, spinach leaves are good and if you use zucchini squash, add it just 10 minutes before turning off the heat.

To make the soup:
1. At least one hour before starting the soup, drain and rinse the soaked garbanzo beans thoroughly, then place in a medium sized pot with 2” water to cover; bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer; let cook, covered, until tender, approximately one hour. Add salt to taste and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottom soup pot over medium high heat and add the onions. Stir and let cook until starting to turn yellow—do not let them turn brown.
3. Meantime, bring the water to a boil in a separate pot on the back of the stove; turn it down to a low simmer once it begins to boil. You may add a large beef bouillon cube if desired.
4. Add the celery and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring.
5. Add the carrots and cook 2-3 minutes more, stirring.
6. Once carrots and celery and onions begin to soften, stir in the tomato paste.
7. Add the hot water slowly, ½ cup at a time, stirring and simmering 1-2 minutes between additions to allow flavor to permeate the water, creating a broth, until vegetables are submerged in broth.
8. Add all the herbs and spices, salt and pepper, and the Parmesan cheese rind.
9. Add the potatoes and let simmer over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes.
10. Add the green beans and bring soup back to a boil then lower the heat to medium.
11. Continue adding the water in small amounts, until you have your preferred ratio of broth to vegetables.
12. Add the cooked garbanzo beans once the other vegetables are tender.
13. Add more fresh oregano and basil if desired for a fresh garden flavor.
14. Add salt and pepper to taste.
15. Add ¼ tsp. sugar to balance the acid in the tomato paste.
16. Serve immediately or let sit overnight in the refrigerator for a deeper, fully blended flavor. After ladling the soup into bowls, place 1 tsp or more of fresh pesto in center of the soup and drizzle extra virgin olive oil over for a truly Tuscan flourish.
Serve with crostini (toasted baguette slices) rubbed with fresh garlic and brushed with olive oil. Pass around a bowl of freshly grated Parmesan cheese for extra flavor.

Buon appetito!

Fresh Pesto:

2 cups whole fresh basil leaves, rinsed and toweled dry
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp. sea salt
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp ground black pepper
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment and pulse until blended into a fine paste. Keeps for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator in airtight container; or can be stored for up to two weeks in the freezer. You can freeze it in small amounts in an ice cube tray allowing you to thaw the pesto as needed in small amounts.

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