America's Test Kitchen
From Season 11: Easier Italian Favorites
Shopping List:
Produce
• chopped fresh basil leaf, 1/2 cup
• green cabbage, 1/2 small head
• carrot, 1 medium
• celery ribs, 2 medium
• onions, 2 small
• zucchini, 1 medium
Pantry/Dry Goods
• bay leaf, 1
• dried cannellini bean, 1/2 pound
• low sodium chicken broth, 2 cups
• garlic cloves, 2 medium
• V8 juice, 1 1/2 cups
• extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon
• red pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon
• ground black pepper,
• table salt,
• water, 8 cups
Dairy
• grated Parmesan cheese,
• Parmesan cheese rind, 1 piece
Meat
• pancetta, 3 ounces
Why this recipe works:
Excellent minestrone soup relies on fresh, perfectly ripe vegetables. But unless you’ve got access to a sun-drenched garden in the height of summer, you’re stuck with lackluster supermarket offerings. We wanted a soup that squeezed every last ounce of flavor out of supermarket vegetables and was as satisfying as minestrone served in Italy.
To start, we limited our vegetables to a manageable six: the aromatic trio of onions, celery, and carrots; hearty cabbage; and fresh, summery zucchini and tomato, all simmered in water. We began our soup by sautéing some finely diced pancetta in a Dutch oven, then browned the vegetables in the rendered fat, which helped develop sweetness and also lent a rich flavor to the components. Before they were fully cooked, we removed the vegetables in order to prepare the starch. We decided to use cannellini beans (a favorite for their creamy texture and buttery flavor), which we soaked overnight in salted water to ensure they cooked evenly and turned out well seasoned. We added the soaked beans along with the cooking liquid (and a Parmesan rind) and simmered them together vigorously—this helped the beans release their starch to thicken the soup. Once the beans were tender, we returned the vegetables to the pot and simmered everything together until the vegetables were cooked through. And rather than using all water, we replaced a portion with chicken broth. But it wasn’t until we landed on an unusual addition—V8 juice, rather than canned tomatoes—that our soup boasted consistent tomato and vegetable flavor in every spoonful.
Serves 6 to 8
If you are pressed for time you can “quick-brine” your beans. In step 1, combine the salt, water, and beans in a large Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans and proceed with the recipe. We prefer cannellini beans, but navy or great Northern beans can be used. We prefer pancetta, but bacon can be used . To make this soup vegetarian (and LDL friendly), substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and 2 teaspoons of olive oil for the pancetta. Parmesan rind is added for flavor, but can be replaced with a 2-inch chunk of the cheese. In order for the starch from the beans to thicken the soup, it is important to maintain a vigorous simmer in step 3. The soup can be cooled, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat it gently and add basil just before serving.
INGREDIENTS
• Table salt
• 1/2 pound dried cannellini beans (about 1 cup), rinsed and picked over (see note)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil , plus extra for serving
• 3 ounces pancetta , cut into 1/4-inch pieces (see note)
• 2 medium celery ribs , cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 medium carrot , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 small onions , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium zucchini , trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1/2 small head green cabbage , halved, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups) (see step by step below)
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 8 cups water
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 piece Parmesan cheese rind , about 5 by 2 inches (see note)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cups V8 juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese , for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
• 1. Dissolve 1 1/2 tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
• 2. Heat oil and pancetta in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 3 to 5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, onions, and zucchini; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 9 minutes. Stir in garlic, cabbage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes; continue to cook until cabbage starts to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer vegetables to rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
• 3. Add soaked beans, water, broth, Parmesan rind, and bay leaf to now-empty Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and vigorously simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are fully tender and liquid begins to thicken, 45 to 60 minutes.
• 4. Add reserved vegetables and V8 juice to pot; cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and Parmesan rind, stir in chopped basil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with olive oil and grated Parmesan.
VEGGIE POWER
HAVE A V8
Though completely nontraditional, V8 juice trumped all the other types of tomato products we tried in our soup. It added just the right amount of bright tomato taste with an even bigger wallop of vegetable flavor—the real goal of our recipe. We’re surprised the Italians didn’t think of it first.
TECHNIQUE
• TO THICKEN SOUP, BOIL YOUR BEANS
For our Hearty Minestrone recipe, we cook the dried beans in chicken broth and water before combining them with the other ingredients. We noticed that by the time the beans became tender, the cooking liquid in some batches of beans had a nice thick consistency, while others were thin and watery. Could this be due to how much heat was under the pot?
EXPERIMENT
To find out, we cooked two pots of beans (both soaked first overnight in a brine, according to our recipe)—one at a bare simmer and the second pot at a vigorous simmer—until the beans in each became tender. We then drained each batch of cooking liquid into a measuring cup, adding water to the vigorously simmered batch until it was level with the gently simmered cooking liquid.
RESULTS
Even with water added to compensate for evaporation, the cooking liquid from the boiled beans was significantly thicker than the more gently simmered liquid.
EXPLANATION
A higher cooking temperature causes more starch to be released from beans. As they simmer, their coats may look smooth and unbroken, but starches are continually being released into the water through a section of their seed coat called the “hilum.” These starches absorb the hot liquid and eventually burst, releasing the molecule amylose, which acts as a thickener. So the next time you want a thicker bean soup, remember: The more vigorous the simmer, the more starches that burst and the more viscous the broth.
TECHNIQUE
• CUTTING CABBAGE INTO PIECES
To cut a head of cabbage into evenly sized pieces for recipes such as Hearty Minestrone, use the following method.
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1. Cut the cabbage into quarters, then cut away the hard piece of core attached to each quarter.
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2. Separate the cored cabbage into stacks of leaves and flatten them by pressing lightly with your hands.
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3. Using a chef’s knife, cut each stack lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
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4. Gather the strips into bundles and cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
TECHNIQUE
• MAKING THICKER, MORE FLAVORFUL MINESTRONE
1. BRINE BEANS
Brine beans overnight in 2 quarts water and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt.
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2. SAUTÉ VEGETABLES
Sauté vegetables and remove them before cooking beans to preserve their texture.
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3. COOK BEANS
Cook beans at vigorous simmer to release their starch which will act as thickener.
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4. ADD VEGETABLES
Return vegetables to pot, along with V8 juice and chopped fresh basil leaves.
