Fall Minestrone
A variation on this recipe by Rachael Ray
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 portobello mushroom caps, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, chopped with greens
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 stems of fresh rosemary
8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 small bunch of kale or chard, trimmed of tough ends and veins and coarsely chopped (4 to 5 cups)
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes or chunky-style crushed tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock or broth
2 cups vegetable stock or broth (or more if you want to make it soupier)
A piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
1 cup ditalini pasta
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to pass at the table
Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the pancetta and brown for 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and add the rosemary stems and the sage to the pot. Add the zucchini and chopped greens and stir them into the pot until all the greens wilt down, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the beans, tomatoes, stocks and cheese rind, then place a lid on the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Uncover and add the ditalini pasta. Cook the soup for 7 to 8 minutes at a rolling simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente, with a bite to it. Remove the pot from the heat. Remove the rind and then now bare rosemary stems (the leaves fall off into the soup as it cooks). Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and top with grated cheese. Pass the crusty bread at the table.
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