Hints for Minestrone

This is actually a post within a post, but it all starts with a hearty minestrone. I'd like to share two hints for making a good minestrone that Mom and I discovered when we made minestrone the other night. It was one of those spur of the moment, what sounds good dinners, and the minestrone came out fabulous! I think the reason it was so tasty was because of two key ingredients.

The first key ingredient: homemade broth.
We started with frozen broth from our Thanksgiving turkey. If you've never made a broth from your turkey remains (or chicken or roast, for that matter), you've got to give it a try. It's very simple. Throw all the turkey remains in a large pot or crockpot, cover with water and let simmer for 48 hours. Yes, 48 hours. At that point, you'll be able to pull your bones out and they'll be softer, not a thing will be left on them, and you'll even see that the marrow is gone. Somewhere during that 48 hours, make sure you add several carrots, some celery stalks, an onion, and really whatever seasoning tempts your fancy (bay leaves, fresh herbs, salt and pepper...). After your 48 hours is up, strain your broth to eliminate bones, skin, herbs, and the mushy vegetables. What you will be left with is a flavorful and rich broth that makes the best of soups! You can use it right then, or you can freeze it for later. You will probably find that it is so rich that you can dilute it with extra water without losing flavor. (See what I mean, post within a post!)

Back to the minestrone...The second key ingredient: prosciutto.
Braden and I were at Balduccis and saw "prosciutto ends" in tubs in the refrigerated section. These are simply the ends of the prosciutto hunks, after the prosciutto has been sliced. We grabbed a tub knowing it would be tasty for something. And sure enough it was! My mom chopped these ends up and threw them in the minestrone early on so they could simmer for a while. It added a hearty, slighty smokey flavor to the soup.

Minestrone is one of those great meals that you can make with what you have on hand (or what you don't!) Here's what we put in our minestrone:
broth
prosciutto
cannellini beans (canned)
kidney beans (canned)
chicken breast
carrots
celery
onion
garlic
potatoes
mushrooms (I didn't prefer these in the soup, I'd leave them out next time.)

I can't say for sure that this is what mom did--I kind of added my 2 cents more than I cooked the minestrone, as I was busy with the kiddos--but when I make minestrone I start by chopping the carrots, celery, onion. Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of the pot, add the minced garlic and saute until you begin to smell the garlic. Throw in the minced vegetables. Saute until the onion is translucent. Then add the broth, prosciutto, and potatoes and let simmer about 30 minutes. If the chicken is uncooked, add with the broth. About 15 minutes before you're ready to eat, add the beans (and chicken, if pre-cooked) and let simmer. Serve with parmesan shaved on top and a crusty loaf of bread! Yum!

I have one more hint. Sometimes I like to put pasta (like a rotini or macaroni) in my minestrone. Although all the recipes I've seen say to add the pasta to the soup, don't do it! If you have any soup leftover, when you go to eat it the next day, the pasta will be overly mushy. The best way I've found is to cook the pasta separately and toss it lightly in olive oil. When you go to serve the minestrone, put a serving of pasta in the bowl first, then ladle the minestrone over the noodles.