Title: Hearty Minestrone
Categories: Soup Italian Vegetable Vegetarian
Yield: 6 Servings

1/4	lb	Dried beans
		Salt
1		Celery stalk
1/4	lb	Savoy cabbage
2	sm	Boiling potatoes
1/4	c	Drained canned plum tomatoes
2 1/2	tb	Chopped onion
2		Basil leaves
1/4	ts	Dried thyme
2	tb	Olive oil
		Freshly ground black pepper
3	oz	Imported Italian pasta

THE NIGHT BEFORE, pick over the beans, rinse them, and let them soak in a large bowl of cold water. Next day, drain the beans, put them into a large pot and cover with 4 cups water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, bring to the boil and simmer, covered for 1-to-1 1/2 hours, until the beans are nearly tender. Wash and cut into bite-size pieces the celery, cabbage and potato. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Chop the onion, basil, and thyme together. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and soften the onion mixture in it for 5 minutes. Add the celery, cabbage, potato, tomato, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and several grindings of black pepper. Toss everything to coat it with the oil, then add 1/3 cup warm water. Cover and cook gently 20 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender. When the beans are ready, scoop out about a quarter of them and puree them through a food mill back into the pot. Add the vegetables from the saute pan and all their juices. Bring the soup to a boil and stir in the pasta. Cook until the pasta is done, 10 to 12 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

TOM MARESCA AND DIANE DARROW - PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK

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