This minestrone soup is different than your typical Italian minestrone soup because it is filled with fresh winter greens, Parmesan rind and a savory broth made by browning the tomato paste. Serves 8. Cook time about 2 hours.
- 1/3 pound sliced pancetta, chopped
- 3 medium red onions, chopped
- 4 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
- 3 quarts hot water
- 5 cups coarsely chopped cored Savoy cabbage
- 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind about 3×1.5 inches
- 1 (19-oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Serve with extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling, small pasta, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Cook pancetta, onions, celery and carrots in oil in a wide 7-to-9 quart pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while preparing the chard.
Cut out the stems from the chard and chop the stems, reserving the leaves. Stir chard stems into pancetta mixture with garlic, 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper and continue cooking until vegetables are very tender and begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, about 45 minutes total.
Push vegetables to one side of the pot. Add tomato paste to cleared side and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Stir paste into vegetables and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Do not let the paste burn.
Stir in tomatoes with their juice, then add hot water, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Bring to a simmer. Stir in cabbage and Parmesan rind. Simmer, covered, until greens are tender, about 40 minutes.
Coarsely chop chard leaves and stir into soup along with beans. Simmer, partially covered for about 10 minutes. Discard rind. Season soup with salt and pepper. If you are using pasta I like to cook the pasta in a separate pot and add just before serving.
This soup can be made 2 days ahead and chilled.
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