Chicken Minestrone

Name: Chicken Minestrone
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ½ cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 red onion, finely diced; Salt flakes, to taste; 2 leeks, washed and finely sliced; 2 litres chicken stock or water; 1 carrot, grated; 1 stalk celery, finely diced; 250g ditali or other small pasta shapes; ¼ Chinese cabbage, finely sliced; 350g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced; 400g canned borlotti beans, drained, rinsed and partly crushed; Handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Literally meaning ‘big soup’, minestrone is a hearty Italian dish half way between a soup and a stew. Vegetable-based, it was traditionally made from leftovers and whatever was in the garden or foraged nearby, so feel free to use this recipe as a guide for your own inspiration. Beans or pasta, often both, add substance and make it more filling, as can a little rice; small pasta shapes are best, but you can use bits and pieces of leftover or broken pasta too. Cooking it in the soup adds flavour to the pasta while the starch it gives off thickens the soup. If you have homemade stock use it as the base, otherwise just use water and let the vegetables flavour it (see my chicken stock video below). You could also poach a whole chicken to make stock and shred some of the meat into the soup. Freshly grated parmesan is optional, you can even throw the parmesan rind into the pot for extra flavour. If, like me, you like a touch of heat, stir in some chilli too. Italy and Spain being close neighbours, I enjoy my chicken minestrone with a glass of Lustau Amontillado Sherry.

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup extra virgin olive oil (125ml)
1 red onion, finely diced
Salt flakes, to taste
2 leeks, washed and finely sliced
2 litres chicken stock or water (4¼ US pints)
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, finely diced
250g ditali or other small pasta shapes (9oz)
¼ Chinese cabbage, finely sliced
350g chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced (12½oz)
400g canned borlotti beans, drained, rinsed and partly crushed (14oz)
Handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Method

Place oil and onion in a large saucepan.
Add a good pinch of salt, cover and cook over medium heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just starting to colour.
Stir in leeks, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until very soft.
Add chicken stock or water and bring to the boil.
Stir in carrot, celery and pasta and return to the boil.
Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in cabbage, chicken and beans, cover and cook for a further minute, then remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Taste, stir in parsley and salt, reheat if necessary and serve.