Best Molly Oneills Summer Minestrone Recipes

ABRUZZO SUMMER MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions and carrots and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the chicken broth, chard, pasta, green beans, oregano, pasta sauce, cannellini beans, squash, zucchini, 1 cup water, 2 teaspoons salt and several grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the pasta is cooked and the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Divide among 6 bowls and top with the torn basil and Parmesan.

SUMMER MINESTRONE WITH FRESH BASIL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about a minute, and stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 quarts water, the turnip, zucchini, and the bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the canned beans. Taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
• While the soup is simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Boil 5 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, allow to cool, and drain. Retain the cooking water in case you want to thin out the soup later.
• Add the pasta to the soup and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Stir the cooked green beans into the soup. Grind in some pepper and taste and adjust seasonings. It should be savory and rich-tasting.
• Stir in the basil or pistou, or place a spoonful of pistou in each bowl and stir in. Serve in wide soup bowls, with a sprinkling of Parmesan over the top.

SUMMER VEGETABLE MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the leeks and celery, and cook for 8 mins until soft. Add the courgettes and garlic. Cook gently for 5 mins more.
• Pour in the stock and simmer, covered, for 10 mins. Add the asparagus, peas and broad beans, and cook for a further 4 mins, until just cooked through. Stir in the chopped basil and season well. Scatter with basil leaves and serve with crusty bread.

SUMMER MINESTRONE WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add broth and next 7 ingredients. Increase heat to high and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pot, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach; simmer 3 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 6 bowls; garnish each with 1 tablespoon pesto. Serve, passing cheese separately.

MOLLY O'NEILL'S SUMMER MINESTRONE

Steps:

• Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Weight the eggplant with a can placed on a small plate and set the colander in the sink to drain for at least 1 hour. Then rinse the cubes thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.
• Cut the potato and carrot into cubes the same size as the eggplant. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, discard the seeds and white membrane and slice thinly.
• Turn the heat to medium-high and add the the oil to a big heavy saucepan. Saute the eggplant and potato for about 5 minutes, or until they just start to brown along the edges. Stir in the onion and celery, lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring, until the onion softens and starts to turn golden. Add the carrot, chard, green beans and pepper and stir to combine well.
• Add 1/2 cup hot water to the pan, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, zucchini and the aromatics along with the chili pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, adding small amounts of water from time to time if necessary. Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.