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Bittman Basics
Minestrone Isn’t Just an Italian American Grandma Soup
It’s a hearty dish that makes you feel better — physically and otherwise
Here’s an old-fashioned soup that you’d find in a red-sauce restaurant that might remind you of a soup a mother or a grandmother might make to make you feel better — a backup to chicken noodle (apparently it’s been around since at least the 1870s, and perhaps as early as the Roman Empire). But I can’t help but wonder if minestrone might be better for you — not just in terms of ingredients, but skill-building if you’re teaching yourself to cook.
Here’s an easily varied vegetable soup that helps you start thinking of vegetables in groups: aromatics (garlic, onions, celery, and carrots); hard or sturdy; tender (like zucchini or green beans); and greens. So if you look at the ingredient list that way, you can mix and match vegetables depending on what you have in the fridge or what looks best in the store.
To give the soup even more flavor, cut the rind from a piece of Parmesan cheese and add it along with the water. Or cut a piece of rind into small chunks; it will soften enough to eat and is a real treat.
